THE 


REDEMPiON 


FRF]  TOWN 


977 


l CHARLES  M.SHELDQN 

>WTHOR  OF 

* 


MNEX 


The  Redemption  of 
Freetown 


By 
REV.  CHARLES  M.  SHELDON 


Author  of  "  In  His  Steps,"  etc. 


United  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor 
Boston  and  Chicago 


Copyright,  1898 
BY  UNITED  SOCIETY  OF  CHRISTIAN  ENDEAVOR 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

INTRODUCTION 5 

I. — THE  PROBLEM  OF  FREETOWN 7 

II. — JUDGE  VERNON'S  TROUBLE 14 

III. — HOWARD  DOUGLASS'S  PLAN 21 

IV.— THE  CARLTONS'  TROUBLE 28 

V. — CALLERS  AT  MR.  DOUGLASS'S 35 

VI. — SOME  MOMENTOUS  DECISIONS 42 

VII. — THE  FREETOWN  SETTLEMENT  STARTED  .    .  50 

VIII.— FIFTEEN  YEARS  AFTER 57 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Escape 12 

Claude  Vernon's  Return 19 

"  Have  you  heard  the  news?" 26 

Inez  Comes  Home 31 

Winifred  and  Isabel 36 

"Will  you  live  there  yourself ?" 44 

"  Burke  Williams's  case  has  been  called  up  to  a 

higher  court" 51 

"As  he  reached  the  corner,  he  stopped  and  looked 

back" 63 


INTRODUCTION 


little  story  was  first  read  by  me  to  my  Young  Peo- 

A  pie's  society  of  Christian  Endeavor  in  the  Central 
Church,  Topeka,  Kan.,  during  the  spring  of  1898. 

There  is  nothing  impossible  in  the  story,  which  is  largely 
founded  on  actual  facts  known  to  very  many  besides  myself. 
What  seems  to  be  miraculous  or  impossible  in  the  redemp- 
tion of  humanity  seems  so  because  too  often  the  Christian 
disciple  does  not  give  himself  for  the  solution  of  the  human 
problem. 

This  is  the  one  great  truth  I  have  wished  to  impress  by  the 
telling  of  this  history,  which  is  partly  true,  and  might  easily 
be  wholly  so  ;  the  truth  that  it  is  God  with  us,  Emmanuel,  who 
is  redeeming  the  world,  and  it  must  be  ourselves,  the  Christ  in 
us,  with  the  unredeemed  humanity  near  us,  that  must  redeem 
it.  The  moment  the  churches,  the  Endeavor  societies,  the 
Christian  disciples  everywhere,  put  themselves  into  any  un- 
redeemed spot  in  any  town  or  city  or  place,  the  miracle  of 
redemption  will  begin. 

It  is  with  the  prayer  that  all  who  read  this  little  story  will 
give  something  of  this  redeeming  love  to  a  needy  world  that 
the  book  is  sent  out.  There  is  the  secret  of  the  atonement  in 
the  three  short  words,  "  Who  gave  Himself" 

CHARLES  M.  SHELDON. 


5 


CHAPTER  I. 
THE  PROBLEM  OF  FREETOWN. 

T  was  very  still  in  the  district  courtroom.  The 
jury  had  just  brought  in  a  verdict  of  guilty,  and 
the  judge  was  about  to  pronounce  the  sentence. 
The  room  was  filled  with  the  usual  crowd  of 
spectators.  The  lawyers  occupied  the  space 
railed  off  from  the  raised  seats  at  the  rear 
where  the  public  was  admitted.  All  whispers 
and  noise  on  the  part  of  witnesses,  attorneys,  and  court 
officers  had  ceased,  and  every  eye  was  on  the  man  who 
had  just  been  pronounced  guilty. 

"  Prisoner  at  the  bar,"  said  Judge  Vernon,  leaning 
a  little  forward  in  his  chair  until  his  arm  rested  on  the 
desk  in  front  of  him,  "  have  you  anything  to  say  why 
sentence  should  not  be  pronounced  upon  you  ?  " 

The  prisoner  was  a  young  negro  not  more  than  twenty 
years  old.  He  had  been  standing  when  the  verdict  of 
the  jury  was  given.  His  hand  rested  on  the  back  of  a 
chair,  and  he  faced  the  judge  with  a  look  of  stolid, 
sullen  defiance. 

"  I  Ve  got  only  this  to  say,  judge.  The  shooting  was 
accidental.  If  I  'd  had  a  fair  trial,  I  'd  been  let  off.  But 
everything  's  been  against  me  here." 

There  was  a  pause  while  the  man  passed  the  back  of 
his  hand  over  his  mouth  and  shifted  his  position  ner- 
vously. 

Judge  Vernon  waited  a  moment. 
"  Is  that  all  you  have  to  say  ?  " 


8  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

"That's  all,  unless — I  think  I  ought  to  have  another 
trial.  I  don't  count  this  fair,  judge." 

"You  have  been  fully  and  fairly  tried,"  replied  the 
judge  firmly.  Then,  after  a  moment  of  silence,  he  con- 
tinued :  "Prisoner  at  the  bar,  I  sentence  you  to  the 
penitentiary  for  twenty  years.  Bailiff,  remove  the  pris- 
oner. Call  the  next  case." 

The  prisoner  made  a  movement  as  if  he  intended  to 
utter  a  word,  but  his  lawyer  behind  him  pulled  him 
down  into  a  seat;  the  bailiff  came  to  the  little  gate  of 
the  railing  and  beckoned  to  the  prisoner,  who  was  led 
out.  The  machinery  of  the  court  went  on,  the  next  case 
was  called,  and  the  usual  stir  of  the  courtroom  rose 
again,  in  sharp  contrast  with  the  moment's  intense 
stillness  that  had  just  preceded. 

The  evening  of  that  same  day,  as  Judge  Vernon  sat 
down  to  dinner  in  his  residence  up  on  the  boulevard,  his 
wife  noticed  an  unusual  seriousness  in  his  face.  She 
did  not  speak  of  it  at  once,  however. 

"Where  is  Claude  ?  "  the  judge  asked,  as  his  wife  and 
two  girls  took  their  places  at  the  table.  They  all  re- 
mained standing,  for  the  judge  held  to  the  custom  which 
his  father  before  him  had  observed,  of  waiting  until 
every  member  of  his  family  was  present  before  sitting 
down  to  the  table. 

"  He  was  invited  out  to  a  card-party  at  the  Carltons'," 
said  Mrs.  Vernon,  slowly. 

The  judge  frowned,  but  said  nothing.  They  all  sat 
down,  and  Mrs.  Vernon  looked  carefully  across  the 
table  at  her  husband.  It  was  then  that  she  spoke  of  his 
look  of  care,  greater,  it  seemed  to  her,  than  usual. 

"  Have  you  had  a  trying  day,  John  ? "  asked  Mrs. 
Vernon,  a  little  timidly.  She  did  not  often  venture  to 
question  her  husband  about  his  duties  as  judge. 

"  Yes,"  Judge  Vernon  answered,  almost  curtly.  Then 
he  looked  across  at  his  wife,  and  went  on  in  a  different 


THE  PROBLEM  OF  FREETOWN.  9 

tone.  "  The  fact  is,  Eliza,  the  condition  of  affairs  out  at 
Freetown  is  getting  desperate.  To-day  I  sentenced  one 
of  the  boys  from  that  district  to  twenty  years  for  a  shoot- 
ing affray.  That  makes  over  fifteen  criminal  cases  from 
that  neighborhood  in  two  weeks.  Crime  and  rowdyism 
of  every  description  seem  to  be  on  the  increase  there." 

"Why  don't  you  double  up  the  sentences,  father?" 
asked  one  of  the  girls,  astylishly  dressed  young  woman. 

Judge  Vernon  looked  at  her,  and  smiled  slightly. 

"  I  'm  afraid  that  doubling  the  sentences  is  not  the 
cure  for  the  crimes  committed.  In  fact,  Isabel,  I  am 
afraid  that  the  heavier  the  sentence,  the  more  the  con- 
victed criminals  are  regarded  as  heroes  by  their  com- 
panions and  so  regard  themselves." 

"There  ought  to  be  some  law  to  prevent  the  dreadful 
state  of  things  in  Freetown,"  said  Winifred,  the  other 
girl,  a  little  younger  than  her  sister.  "  Claude  was 
telling  me  the  other  day  that  the  hardest,  worst  elements 
in  the  city  are  crowded  into  Freetown,  and  that  it  is  n't 
safe  to  walk  through  it  after  midnight.  Just  think  of  it! 
Right  near  the  best  residence  part  of  the  city,  too.  I 
think  there  ought  to  be  a  law  compelling  those  folks  to 
sell  out  to  the  white  people!"  continued  Winifred, 
whose  ideas  of  law  were  somewhat  vague  and  general. 

"  I  'm  afraid  they  are  there  to  stay,"  said  Judge  Ver- 
non, absently.  He  seemed  to  be  brooding  over  some- 
thing, and  even  the  light-minded  Isabel  was  afraid  to 
interrupt  her  somewhat  stern  father  when  he  looked  that 
way.  He  did  not  speak  for  some  time,  and  then,  as  the 
girls  were  talking  over  a  theatre  party  to  be  formed  for 
an  evening  of  that  week,  Judge  Vernon  suddenly  asked 
again  about  his  son. 

"  Has  Claude  finished  that  writing  I  gave  him  to  do?  " 
he  asked  his  wife. 

Mrs.  Vernon  looked  down  at  the  table,  as  she  answered 
in  a  low  voice,  "  He  has  not  touched  it  yet." 


10  THE  REDEMP  Tl  ON  OF  FREE  TO  WN. 

Judge  Vernon  looked  angry.  "  Send  him  into  the 
library  when  he  comes  in,"  he  said.  He  rose  abruptly, 
and  went  into  a  little  room  adjoining  the  library,  used 
for  a  private  reading-room  by  himself. 

Isabel  and  Winifred  looked  at  each  other.  The  look 
said  very  plainly,  "  I  'm  glad  I  'm  not  in  Claude's  place." 

After  supper  Isabel  went  to  the  piano,  and  Winifred 
took  up  a  book.  Mrs.  Vernon  sat  down  to  some  fancy- 
work.  The  evening  passed  on  slowly.  It  was  an  un- 
usual thing  for  the  girls  to  be  at  home.  They  found  it 
very  stupid.  At  last  they  went  up  to  their  rooms,  and 
Mrs.  Vernon  sat  on  by  her  beautiful  lamp,  apparently 
deeply  interested  in  her  work.  But  she  was  thinking 
of  her  son,  and  was  not  happy.  Often  she  lifted  her 
head  to  listen  while  the  fingers  ceased  to  be  busy,  and  as 
often  she  dropped  her  head  again  and  went  on.  The 
night  was  very  still,  and  it  seemed  impossible  that  events 
were  rapidly  shaping  which  would  before  morning  change 
the  lives  of  more  than  one  person  in  the  city  of  Merton. 

The  prisoner  had  been  taken  at  once  from  the  court- 
room to  the  county  jail.  He  had  been  put  in  the  cage 
where  a  dozen  other  criminals  were  confined.  He  had 
at  once  gone  to  a  corner,  and  remained  there  in  sullen 
silence,  refusing  to  talk  with  any  one.  The  day  had 
drawn  to  its  close.  The  lights  in  the  corridors  had  been 
turned  on,  supper  had  been  served,  and  most  of  the  men 
who  had  been  walking  about  in  the  cage  had  gone  into 
their  cells. 

The  jailor  suddenly  came  down  a  short  flight  of  stone 
steps  that  led  from  the  detention-room,  and,  unlocking 
the  cage  door,  called  out,  "  Burke  Williams  !  " 

At  first  there  was  no  answer.  Then  the  figure  of  the 
negro  rose  and  came  towards  the  door. 

"  What  do  you  want?  "  the  prisoner  asked  in  a  surly 
voice. 

"  Come  out  here  ! "  called  the  jailer,  roughly.    "  And 


THE  PROBLEM  OF  FREETOWN.  11 

keep  a  civil  tongue.    You  're  wanted  up  in  the  detention- 
room.    Quick,  now  !  Move  along!" 

The  prisoner  came  out,  and  the  jailer  locked  the  door, 
and,  taking  out  the  keys,  shoved  the  man  along  the  short 
corridor  towards  the  flight  of  steps.  The  negro  pur- 
posely delayed  his  going  as  much  as  possible. 

"  Move  along !  "  cried  the  jailer.  The  prisoner  pre- 
tended to  stumble,  and  the  jailer  roughly  caught  hold  of 
his  arm  and  pulled  him  forward.  At  the  same  instant, 
as  quick  as  lightning  the  prisoner  seized  the  jailer,  and 
with  the  exercise  of  all  his  young  strength  threw  him 
heavily  upon  the  floor.  The  jailer's  head  struck  on  the 
corner  of  the  stone  step,  and  he  lay  there  stunned. 

With  a  rapidity  that  seemed  impossible  from  his 
awkward  movements  before,  the  prisoner  snatched  the 
keys  where  the  jailer  had  let  them  fall,  and  with  one 
bound  was  up  the  stone  steps  and  in  the  detention-room. 
This  opened  from  the  jailer's  office,  and  that  had  a  door 
opening  directly  on  the  street. 

There  was  one  man  in  the  detention-office,  and  he  had 
risen  and  was  near  the  door  leading  to  the  guard-room. 
The  prisoner  saw  in  an  instant  that  it  was  the  attorney 
who  had  conducted  his  case.  He  had  come  to  have  an 
interview  with  reference  to  some  part  of  the  case  relating 
to  a  motion  for  a  new  trial.  In  special  cases  prisoners 
were  allowed  to  confer  with  visitors  in  the  detention- 
room. 

The  negro  dashed  through  the  room  before  the  as 
tonished  attorney  could  stop  him.  The  jailer's  door  was 
locked,  but  from  the  bunch  of  keys  the  prisoner  chanced 
to  choose  the  right  one  first.  He  thrust  it  into  the  lock, 
turned  the  bolt  just  as  the  bewildered  lawyer  rushed  upon 
him,  opened  the  door,  shut  it,  and,  bracing  his  excited 
strength  upon  it,  locked  it  again. 

He  was  outdoors  and  for  the  moment  free.  He  could 
hear  the  uproar  from  within  the  jail  as  the  assistant 


THE  ESCAPE. 


ra 


THE  PROBLEM  OF  FREETOWN.  13 

jailer  and  a  companion  rushed  into  the  office  from  the 
corridors  where  they  had  been  busy  clearing  up  the 
prisoners'  supper  things. 

It  was  just  at  this  moment  that  Judge  Vernon  sat  down 
to  dinner. 


CHAPTER  II. 
JUDGE   VERNON'S   TROUBLE. 

THE  escaped  prisoner  looked  up  and  down  the 
street  an  instant,  and  then  leaped  across   the 
short  distance  between  the  rock-pile  yard  and 
the   alley.    A  man  on  the  other  side  of  the 
street,  attracted  by  the  unusual  uproar  in  the 
jail,  ran  across  just  in  time  to  see  the  figure  of  the  negro 
escaping  up  the   alley.     He  disappeared  in  the  dusk 
before  the  man  could  determine  which  way  he  had  turned 
when  reaching  the  end  of  the  block. 

The  city  lay  about  him  in  the  gathering  night.  He 
knew  that  it  would  be  some  time  before  the  jail  could  be 
opened,  as  all  the  doors  were  now  locked  and  heavy  bars 
closed  every  window.  But  the  alarm  would  soon  be 
given  to  officers  on  the  outside,  and  the  pursuit  would  be 
swift  and  thorough. 

In  his  sullen  rage  he  determined  to  seek  refuge  in  his 
old  haunts  in  Freetown.  The  police  would  surely  seek 
him  there,  but  so  they  would  everywhere.  Skulking 
close  to  buildings,  dodging  up  alleys,  seeking  every  spot 
of  darkest  shadow,  the  man  made  his  way  rapidly  toward 
the  district  which  had  grown  notorious  in  the  criminal 
history  of  the  city.  As  he  ran,  his  sinful  heart  beat 
alternately  with  anger  at  the  justice  that  pursued  him, 
and  with  coarse  joy  at  his  temporary  escape  from  it. 

A  little  after  ten  o'clock  Judge  Vernon  came  into  the 
sitting-room  where  his  wife  still  sat  with  her  fancy-work. 

14 


JUDGE  VERNOWS  TROUBLE.  15 

He  walked  back  and  forth  several  times  without  saying 
a  word.  At  last  he  stopped  and  sat  down  by  the 
table. 

"Eliza,  what  shall  we  do  about  Claude?  He  is 
simply  making  a  wreck  of  his  life  the  way  he  is  living." 

"  I  know  it."  The  mother's  fingers  trembled  as  she 
rested  them  on  the  work  in  her  lap. 

"  It  was  only  yesterday  that  I  learned  of  his  drinking 
at  these  parties  to  which  he  goes  so  often.  What  are 
the  fathers  and  mothers  of  Merton  thinking  of,  that 
they  allow  their  boys  to  learn  these  habits  in  the  best 
society?"  Judge  Vernon  spoke  with  a  force  that  lost 
sight,  for  the  time,  of  the  fact  that  he  himself  was  one 
of  the  very  fathers  that  he  so  severely  condemned. 

"Do  you  think  it  is  the  best  society,  John?"  asked 
Mrs.  Vernon  with  a  boldness  that  was  not  a  part  of  her 
character. 

"  No !  And  yet  we  say  we  belong  to  it.  And  we  let 
our  girls  and  Claude  frequent  these  entertainments  night 
after  night.  Eliza,  I  cannot  endure  it  any  longer.  The 
thought  of  Claude's  growing  into  the  wild,  dissipated, 
society  fast  young  man  is  a  horror  to  me."  Judge  Vernon 
paused,  and  then  went  on  with  an  unusual  agitation  in 
his  voice  and  manner.  "  Eliza,  I  have  not  been  able  to 
shut  out  the  picture,  since  I  heard  of  Claude's  drinking, 
of  his  appearance  in  court,  in  my  court  some  day, 
charged  with  some  crime.  That  picture  has  haunted  me 
all  day.  While  I  was  sentencing  that  colored  man,  I 
kept  thinking,  'What  is  to  prevent  Claude,  my  own  son, 
from  standing  here  some  day,  here  or  in  some  court, 
charged  with  some  crime  while  under  the  influence  of 
drink,  just  as  the  negro  committed  his  crime  while  under 
the  influence  of  liquor?  ' " 

"  O  John,  don't  talk  so  ! "  Mrs.  Vernon  let  her  work 
fall  on  the  floor,  and  her  face  was  pale  and  her  lips 
quivered  nervously.  She  had  never  known  her  husband 


16  THE  REDE  HP  TION  OF  FREE  TO  WN. 

to  break  out  so  forcibly  from  his  habitual  stern  repres- 
sion of  feeling,  and  it  frightened  her. 

"  It  is  simply  what  we  must  face  sooner  or  later.  Our 
girls — ."  The  judge  crowded  down  a  rising  passion, 
and  for  a  moment  there  was  perfect  silence  in  the  room. 
"  Each  of  our  girls  one  of  these  days  will  marry  one  of 
these  society  young  men,  such  men  as  I  am  free  to  confess 
I  never  would  choose  for  them." 

Mrs.  Vernon  was  silent.  She  was  astonished  at  her 
husband's  words. 

"I  see  things  in  my  court,  Eliza,  that  convince  me 
daily  of  the  need  of  a  great  transformation  in  the  city  of 
Merton  in  its  social  life.  I  am  simply  appalled  at  the 
number  of  divorce  cases.  I  cannot  shut  my  eyes  to  the 
fact  that  the  fast  life  lived  by  so  many  of  the  young 
people  is  utterly  ruinous  to  soul  and  body.  Hardly  a 
case  comes  up  that  does  not  illustrate  in  some  form  the 
terrible  influence  of  drink  and  gambling,  much  of  it 
learned  at  the  very  parties  where  Claude  is  a  frequent 
guest,  at  the  very  party,  no  doubt,  where  he  is  now." 

He  rose  and  walked  up  and  down  the  room  again. 
Mrs.  Vernon  sat  silent  and  agitated. 

"And  I  cannot  help  thinking  of  the  people  in  Free- 
town. In  the  very  heart  of  our  Christian  (as  we  call  it) 
city  there  is  a  condition  of  lawlessness  and  impurity  that 
very  few  realize.  I  see  the  results  of  it  daily  in  my 
court,  and  my  heart  grows  sick  as  I  feel  my  powerless- 
ness.  Somehow — "  Judge  Vernon  turned  to  his  wife 
with  a  look  and  manner  she  had  never  known  in  him 
before,  "  Eliza,  somehow  I  cannot  help  connecting  the 
crime  in  Freetown,  the  dissipation  and  immorality  in 
that  district,  with  the  same  thing  in  what  we  call  our  best 
society.  Somehow  I  am  oppressed  by  the  feeling  that 
this  city  will  suffer  some  great  calamity  even  in  its  best 
homes  because  we  have  allowed  such  evils  to  grow  up 
uncorrected  in  the  right  way.  It  seems  to  me  sometimes 


JUDGE  VERNOWS  TROUBLE.  17 

as  I  sit  in  my  place  on  the  bench,  that  a  judgment  is 
hanging  over  this  city,  so  fair  in  its  outward  appearance, 
yet  so  wrong  in  much  of  its  human  life." 

John  Vernon,  judge  of  the  district  court,  had  been  a 
man  who  all  his  life  gave  the  impression,  even  to  the 
members  of  his  own  family,  that  he  was  a  stern,  self- 
controlled  person,  whose  emotions  were  held  in  check 
with  almost  Puritan  or  Spartan  coldness.  His  wife 
wondered  in  her  heart  at  the  unusual  exhibition  of  his 
feeling  this  evening.  Finally  she  asked,  "  The  prisoner 
you  sentenced  to-day,  John,  —  he  is  one  of  a  large  class, 
do  you  think?" 

"  More  than  half  the  crime  that  is  committed  in  the 
city  comes  from  that  class  of  young  men." 

"And  you  sentenced  him  to  twenty  years'  imprison- 
ment?" 

"Yes;  it  was  a  brutal  shooting  affair.  The  other 
negro  was  lamed  for  life.  Will  probably  lose  an  arm 
and  foot." 

"  It  is  horrible,  as  you  say.  I  do  not  see  what  we  are 
coming  to.  But  I  do  not  see  what  connection  there  can 
be  between  the  condition  of  things  among  the  negroes 
in  Freetown  and  that  of  the  white  people  in  the  society 
we  know." 

Judge  Vernon  did  not  answer  at  once.  Then  he  said : 
"  Crime  and  immorality  never  can  be  confined  to  one 
spot  in  a  city.  They  spread  like  contagion.  In  fact, 
they  spread  worse  than  disease,  for  we  can  restrain  and 
shut  in  disease,  but  vice,  until  it  becomes  crime,  may 
go  unchecked  anywhere.  There  is  a  sure  contamina- 
tion from  Freetown  spreading  through  the  entire  city, 
and  I  cannot  escape  the  feeling  that  the  best  families 
in  the  place  are  in  danger.  Our  own,  perhaps.  And 
really,  Eliza,  when  you  consider  the  superior  training 
and  advantages  of  the  white  race,  have  we  very  much 
to  boast  of  when  our  own  young  men  and  women  grow 


18  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

up  to  be  drunkards  and  gamblers  and  unloving  hus- 
bands and  wives?" 

He  had  risen  again,  and  was  nervously  walking  up  and 
down.  The  clock  struck  the  half-hour.  The  sound  had 
only  died  away  when  the  door-bell  rung. 

The  judge  walked  into  the  hall  and  opened  the  outer 
door. 

"  It 's  you,  Mr.  Douglass  ?    Come  in." 

"  It  is  late  to  make  a  call,  judge,"  said  a  deep,  strong 
voice.  "But  I  was  just  getting  home  from  the  meeting 
of  the  Christian  Citizens'  League  ;  and,  seeing  a  light,  I 
thought  I  would  just  stop  a  moment.  Have  you  heard 
the  news  from  the  jail  ?" 

The  Rev.  Howard  Douglass  came  into  the  hall,  and 
Mrs.  Vernon,  who  had  risen  and  gone  out  there,  greeted 
him. 

"  No;  what  news?" 

"The  negro,  Burke  Williams,  has  escaped,  and  is  now 
at  liberty.  He  assaulted  the  jailer,  and  succeeded  in 
locking  the  door  on  the  officers  in  the  jail.  The  police 
are  hunting  for  him  now." 

Judge  Vernon  listened  in  a  greater  degree  of  excite- 
ment than  he  had  shown  even  during  his  conversation 
with  his  wife. 

"  Come  in  here,  Mr.  Douglass.  If  you  can  spare  the 
time,  I  should  like  to  talk  over  matters  in  Freetown.  We 
are  waiting  for  Claude  to  come  home.  This  news  of 
Williams  adds  to  the  thought  I  have  been  having  lately 
about  the  people  in  Freetown." 

Howard  Douglass  hesitated. 

"  It  is  rather  late.  But  I  am  specially  interested  in  the 
conditions  over  there.  In  fact,  the  matter  of  what  to  do 
with  Freetown  was  the  main  subject  of  discussion  at  our 
League  meeting  to-night.  Something  ought  to  be  done 
over  there,  or  we  shall  have  a  heavy  account  to  answer 
for  at  last,  when  the  deeds  of  the  body  are  summed  up 


CLAUDE  TERNON'S  RETURN. 


19 


20  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

for  judgment.  The  Christian  people  of  Merton  will  be 
held  largely  responsible,  I  believe,  for  failure  to  help 
Christianize  that  spot." 

"  I  begin  to  believe  the  same,"  replied  Judge  Vernon 
gravely. 

He  had  paused  thoughtfully  with  the  evident  purpose 
of  going  on  to  propose  some  plan,  when  they  were 
startled  by  the  sound  of  many  heavy  steps  coming  up  the 
veranda  walk. 

Before  the  persons  outside  could  ring  the  bell,  Judge 
Vernon  had  flung  the  door  open.  Mrs.  Vernon  and 
Douglass  stood  close  behind  him.  Looking  out  on  the 
lighted  veranda,  they  saw  a  group  of  men,  among  them 
two  police  officers,  and  carried  on  some  rude  couch,  in 
the  midst  of  the  group,  lay  the  form  of  a  man  covered 
with  a  blanket. 

One  of  the  officers  addressed  Judge  Vernon. 

"  Judge,  this  is  a  hard  piece  of  news  to  bring  to  you. 
In  hunting  for  Burke  Williams  we  found  your  son  Claude 
lying  near  the  end  of  Free  Street,  wounded  and  un- 
conscious. That  fiend  Burke  probably  did  it.  He  is 
robbed." 

Mrs.  Vernon  pressed  through  between  her  husband 
and  all  the  others. 

"  Claude,  my  son  !     Is  he  dead?" 

"  No,  ma'am,"  replied  the  officer  as  he  took  off  his  hat. 
But  he  added  in  a  lower  tone  as  the  terrified  mother 
drew  the  blanket  from  the  face  of  her  boy,  "  No,  not  yet." 


CHAPTER  III. 
HOWARD   DOUGLASS'S   PLAN. 

T  was  Sunday  morning  at  Merton  after  an  unusually 
exciting  week.  And,  as  the  Rev.  Howard  Douglass 
went  into  his  pulpit,  and  thoughtfully  looked  at  the 
large  congregation  that  crowded  the  church,  his 
mind  was  filled  with  one  idea,  and  that  idea  was 
the  redemption  of  Freetown. 

He  had  just  come  from  Judge  Vernon's.  He  had 
prayed  in  the  room  where  Claude  Vernon  lay,  his  young 
life  wavering  on  the  border-land  of  that  other  country, 
where  death  is  forever  shut  out,  but  where  judgment  still 
is  potent ;  and  with  the  memory  of  that  still,  white  face 
the  minister  faced  his  people. 

He  had  been  spending  the  entire  week  in  gathering 
materials  for  his  sermon,  and  the  escape  of  the  prisoner 
from  the  jail,  the  assault  on  Claude  Vernon,  the  son  of 
the  judge,  and  the  uncertainty  of  the  prisoner's  where- 
abouts, together  with  the  flickering  life  of  the  young 
man,  formed  a  natural  climax  to  what  the  minister  had 
prepared.  It  had  been  a  long  time  since  a  sermon  in 
Merton  had  produced  such  a  sensation.  Yet  it  was 
quietly  delivered,  was  full  of  figures,  and  was  not  sensa- 
tional in  the  common  use  of  that  word. 

"What  have  we  ever  done  to  redeem  Freetown?" 
asked  Howard  Douglass,  after  giving  the  people  a  look 
at  the  place,  fortified  by  undisputed  facts  as  to  its  needs. 
"  It  lies  in  the  midst  of  a  Christian  city  practically  un- 

21 


22  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

cared  for.  It  is  cursed  and  feared  and  criticised  for  the 
vice  and  crime  that  flow  out  of  it.  But  how  much  have 
the  Christian  people  of  this  town  ever  done  to  check  or 
remove  the  source  of  that  evil?  How  much  money 
have  we  ever  spent  over  there  ?  How  much  time  have 
we  ever  given  from  our  receptions  and  parties  and  enter- 
tainments to  teach  Freetown  the  way  to  eternal  life  ? 

"  I  am  unable  to  escape  the  burden  of  personal  re- 
sponsibility whenever  I  pass  through  this  place.  I  believe 
the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  will  condemn  the  Christian 
disciples  of  Merton  in  the  last  great  day  if  they  do  not 
give  up  their  endless  round  of  pleasure-seeking  and  waste 
of  God's  wealth,  and  personally  throw  the  strength  of 
their  lives  into  the  solution  of  this  problem. 

"  How  shall  we  redeem  Freetown  ?  It  is  not  an  impossi- 
bility. It  is  not  a  vague  dream  of  what  may  be.  It  is 
within  the  reach  of  actual  facts.  It  can  be  redeemed. 
The  place  can  be  saved,  even  as  a  soul  by  itself  can  be 
saved  by  Jesus.  But  it  is  God's  way  to  save  men  by 
means  of  other  men.  He  does  not  save  by  means  of 
angels,  or  in  any  way  apart  from  the  use  of  men  as  the 
means.  What  will  you  do  to  redeem  Freetown?  I  have 
a  plan.  I  want  you  to  listen  to  it." 

He  then  rapidly  sketched  his  plan.  People  all  over 
the  church  leaned  forward  and  listened  excitedly.  Here 
and  there  heads  nodded  in  assent,  but  for  the  most  part 
there  was  simply  a  fixed  attention  that  did  not  at  once 
show  that  it  had  reached  the  minister's  conclusions. 

The  sermon  was  over,  the  last  hymn  sung,  the  benedic- 
tion pronounced,  and  people  were  going  out  of  the 
church. 

As  they  went  out,  they  were  talking  over  the  minister's 
plan  for  redeeming  Freetown. 

"What  do  you  think  of  it?"  asked  Deacon  Culver  of 
his  neighbor,  the  Hon.  William  Brooks.  Mr.  Brooks 
was  one  of  the  most  talented  lawyers  in  Merton. 


HOWARD  DOUGLASS'S  PLAN.  23 

"  I  think  it  is  largely  visionary.  Mr.  Douglass  is 
enthusiastic  and  of  an  imaginative  temperament.  But 
he  does  not  take  everything  into  the  account.  I  doubt  if 
he  can  make  his  plan  work." 

"  At  the  same  time  something  ought  to  be  done,  don't 
you  think  ?  "  asked  the  deacon,  a  little  timidly,  for  he 
had  a  very  great  respect  for  his  neighbor's  great  legal 
attainments. 

"  O,  no  question  about  the  need,"  replied  Mr.  Brooks 
somewhat  impatiently.  "But  whether  what  Mr.  Doug- 
lass proposes  will  do  anything  or  not,  is  a  question." 

"  Don't  you  think  we  ought  to  give  it  a  trial,  at  least? 
It  is  better  to  try  something  than  let  matters  continue  as 
they  are  at  present.  We  are  none  of  us  safe.  What  is 
to  prevent  your  boy  or  mine  from  meeting  the  same 
experience  as  Claude  Vernon  ?  " 

"I  hear  that  he  was  under  the  influence  of  liquor  at 
the  time  he  was  assaulted.  It  is  said  he  walked  home 
through  Freetown  to  save  time,  but  that  he  would  never 
have  done  it  if  he  had  been  sober,"  said  Mr.  Brooks  in  a 
low  tone. 

"  I  'm  afraid  it 's  true,"  replied  Deacon  Culver.  "  It 
looks  a  little  as  if  we  white  people  needed  some  plan  to 
redeem  us,  don't  you  think,  Brooks  ?  " 

Mr.  Brooks  walked  on  for  some  time  without  answering. 
Then  he  turned  toward  the  deacon,  and  said  impres- 
sively :  "  Deacon,  our  social  life  here  in  Merton  is  in  a 
dangerous  condition.  There  is  no  use  to  hide  the  fact 
that  we  are  in  a  serious  case.  Something  ought  to  be 
done.  I  was  talking  with  Judge  Vernon  last  week,  and 
to  my  great  surprise  I  found  that  he  believed  as  I  do. 
He  did  not  say  much,  but  his  few  words  showed  plainly 
how  deeply  he  felt  about  the  matter." 

The  deacon  sighed.  He  had  reason  to  feel  anxious 
over  his  own  boy  who  was  just  entering  college. 

The  two  men  walked  on  in  silence.    At  last  the  deacon 


24  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

said :  "  Mr.  Brooks,  I  shall  give  all  I  can  to  make  Mr. 
Douglass's  plan  a  success.  I  believe  he  is  right  when  he 
says  the  best  way  to  make  Merton  right,  our  own  homes 
included,  is  to  work  for  the  redemption  of  Freetown.  I 
never  felt  before  to-day  how  closely  all  the  sins  of  the 
world  are  bound  together.  I  for  one  have  done  very  little  ' 
to  make  any  part  of  the  city  what  it  ought  to  be." 

"  If  you  say  that,  how  much  do  you  think  I  have  ever 
done?"  said  Mr.  Brooks  with  a  short  laugh.  "At  the 
same  time,  I  cannot  feel  as  you  do  about  that  plan.  It 
is  a  remarkable  plan  in  many  ways,  but  I  believe  it  will 
fail.  I  am  willing  to  give  something  toward  it,  but  I 
doubt  very  much  if  it  ever  amounts  to  anything." 

The  two  men  parted,  and  each  went  into  his  home 
thinking  seriously.  The  conversation  was  in  one  sense  a 
good  example  of  the  way  in  which  the  congregation  had 
received  the  minister's  plan.  Some  opposed  it.  Some 
had  no  faith  in  it.  Some  were  ready  at  once  to  give 
money  to  make  the  plan  a  success.  Others  thought  it 
would  be  a  sheer  waste  of  time  and  expense.  Still  others, 
however,  were  so  surprised  at  the  proposed  plan  that 
they  confessed  to  a  need  of  more  time  to  think  it  over. 

At  Judge  Vernon's  that  afternoon  a  remarkable  scene 
was  taking  place. 

Claude  still  lay  in  his  room,  his  condition  unchanged. 
Judge  Vernon,  his  wife,  and  the  girls  were  in  the  next 
room.  The  doctor  was  talking  with  the  family. 

"  There  is  something  mysterious  about  this  assault  on 
Claude,"  said  the  doctor.  "  The  wound  on  his  head  was 
evidently  caused  by  a  blow  from  behind,  but  the  contu- 
sion on  his  face  might  have  been  made  by  the  blow  of  a 
fist  directly  in  front  of  him." 

"The  police  officers  seemed  to  think  there  was  no 
doubt  that  Burke  Williams  assaulted  him,"  said  Judge 
Vernon  slowly. 

"  They  may  be  mistaken.    They  sometimes  are." 


HOWARD  DOUGLASSES  PLAN.  25 

"  Why,  who  else  could  have  done  it,  doctor  ?  "  exclaimed 
Isabel  excitedly.  "  We  all  know  the  colored  people  have 
done  just  such  things  repeatedly.  They  are  simply  awful. 
They  ought  to  be  punished.  I  for  one  believe  they  were 
a  good  deal  better  off  in  slavery.  It 's  where  they  belong." 

"  Isabel ! "  said  Mr.  Vernon. 

"It's  what  I  believe.  The  miserable  creatures!  Of 
what  use  are  they  ?  " 

"  I  feel  the  same,"  cried  Winifred.  "  I  think  every 
negro  in  Freetown  ought  to  be  transported  to  Africa,  so 
we  could  get  Merton  forever  rid  of  them.  There 's  no 
question  in  my  mind  that  this  wretch  Williams  is  guilty ; 
and,  if  Claude  dies,  he  ought  to  be  hung." 

Suddenly  the  family  was  startled  by  a  voice  from  the 
room  where  Claude  was  lying. 

"  Mother !  "  he  called. 

The  doctor  stepped  into  the  room,  followed  by  the  rest. 

Claude  still  lay  with  his  eyes  closed.  Mrs.  Vernon 
went  up  and  kneeled  by  him.  He  feebly  moved  one  of 
his  hands.  His  mother  took  it,  and,  bending  her  head 
over  it,  placed  her  lips  upon  it  while  her  tears  fell  fast. 

"  Do  you  know  me,  Claude?" 

"Yes.  Tell  father  and  the  rest— Burke  Williams- 
Freetown — ." 

He  seemed  to  choke  for  a  word,  and  there  was  a 
moment  of  awful  stillness  in  the  room.  They  waited,  but 
he  seemed  unable  to  speak,  and  lapsed  into  his  previous 
condition  of  stupor,  leaving  them  smitten  into  wonder 
and  praying  that  he  might  be  spared. 

"  Do  you  think  we  had  better  rouse  him,  doctor?"  the 
judge  asked  after  a  while. 

"  It  will  do  no  harm.  He  was  trying  to  tell  us  about 
the  affair  in  Freetown." 

They  tried  to  rouse  him  from  his  stupor,  but  failed.  It 
was  growing  late  in  the  afternoon ;  and,  as  the  sun  went 
down,  they  all  waited  and  prayed. 


"Have  you  heard  the  news  ?  " 


26 


HOWARD  DOUGLASS'S  PLAN.  27 

The  evening  service  at  Emmanuel  Church  was  over, 
and  the  Rev.  Howard  Douglass  was  just  going  out  of  the 
church  with  his  wife,  talking  with  a  small  group  of 
church-members,  as  he  went,  about  the  plan  to  redeem 
Freetown. 

As  they  came  out  upon  the  steps,  a  man  came  walking 
up  hastily. 

"Have  you  heard  the  news?"  he  called  out.  "They 
have  caught  Burke  Williams.  He  was  hiding  in  a  barn 
up  in  Freetown." 

The  little  company  of  church  people  stood  still.  The 
minister  looked  grave. 

"That  is  not  all,"  said  the  man.  "  I  just  came  by  Judge 
Vernon's.  His  son  died  a  few  minutes  ago." 

The  Rev.  Howard  Douglass  turned  to  the  people 
around  him. 

"  Let  us  go  back  into  the  church  and  pray,"  he  said. 

They  turned  and  entered  the  building.  The  sexton  had 
begun  to  put  out  the  lights.  They  kneeled  in  the  rear  of 
the  church  and  prayed  for  the  living.  And  over  the  city 
of  Merton,  in  the  thought  of  Howard  Douglass  as  he 
kneeled  there,  the  Spirit  was  brooding,  yearning  that  men 
might  listen  to  the  words  of  eternal  life,  and  turn  from 
their  sins  and  be  redeemed. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  CARLTONS'  TROUBLE. 

T  was  two  weeks  after  Claude  Vernon's  death. 

The  Carlton  house  was  lighted  brilliantly,  and  a 
gay  card-party  was  in  progress.  The  rooms  were 
beautifully  decorated  with  carnations.  Great  vases 
of  Niphetos  and  Perle  roses  stood  on  the  marble 
mantels.  Festoons  of  costly  vines  were  hung  about  the 
walls,  and  a  fountain  of  perfumed  water  played  in  the 
wide  hall.  A  band  of  mandolin  musicians  was  stationed 
in  a  handsome  alcove  near  the  stairway.  As  one  entered 
this  richly  adorned  mansion,  everything  pleased  the  eye, 
the  young  people  were  laughing  and  jesting,  the  groups 
about  the  different  tables  were  animated  groups  of  happy 
color ;  and,  if  there  was  another  world  outside,  of  vice 
and  sin  and  need,  no  hint  of  such  a  world  was  suggested 
by  the  surroundings  of  this  party  of  pleasure-seekers. 

Yet  there  was  a  cloud  on  the  face  of  the  mistress  of 
all  this  gayety.  Mrs.  Carlton  herself  was  evidently  dis- 
turbed and  unhappy.  Even  her  accustomed  habit  of 
self-control,  that  mask  which  society  often  compels  its 
slaves  to  wear,  could  not  conceal  her  real  feelings. 

"What  is  the  matter,  Louise?"  asked  one  of  her 
friends,  Mrs.  Lynde,  as  she  stopped  by  the  hostess  near 
the  staircase  ;  "  are  you  ill  ?" 

"  No,  but  I  'm  worried  about  Inez  and  her  father.  A 
telegram  just  came,  saying  they  would  be  here  on  the 
one-o'clock  train.  Of  course  I  feel  badly  about  Claude 

28 


THE  CA11LTON&  TROUBLE.  29 

and  all  that.  It  seems  almost  unfortunate  that  the 

party  should  come  so  soon  after,  and  all  this  other . 

I  feel  a  little  nervous  about  it;  but  of  course  I  could 
not  foresee  events." 

"  Of  course  not.  You  owe  something  to  society.  This 
will  be  the  event  of  the  season." 

"Do  you  think  so?"  Mrs.  Carlton  spoke  anxiously, 
but  her  face  lighted  up  with  the  selfish  pleasure  of  a 
woman  who  has  reached  a  point  where  the  one  great 
object  of  her  life  is  to  win  the  distinction  of  surpassing 
all  other  society  leaders  in  social  ways. 

"  There  is  no  doubt  of  it.  See  if  The  Sunday  Caterer 
does  not  say  so."  And  Mrs.  Lynde  passed  into  the  next 
room. 

Mrs.  Carlton  looked  pleased;  and,  as  she  mingled 
with  the  young  people,  her  face  seemed  to  lose  its 
anxious  look. 

But,  when  the  last  game  had  been  played,  the  refresh- 
ments served,  the  last  guest  had  gone,  and  she  was 
alone,  she  betrayed  at  once  the  unrest  and  excitement 
she  had  been  unable  to  conceal  during  a  large  part  of 
the  evening. 

It  was  half-past  twelve,  and  she  sat  down  in  the  hall 
reception-room,  and  waited  for  her  husband  and 
daughter.  As  she  sat  there,  her  mind  was  busy  with 
thoughts  that  made  her  grow  increasingly  unhappy. 

Her  husband  had  been  called  abroad  six  months 
before,  and  had  taken  their  only  child,  Inez,  with  him. 
She  was  nineteen  years  old,  and  had  been  studying  art 
at  home.  When  Claude  Vernon  died,  Mrs.  Carlton 
knew  that  Inez  and  her  father  were  about  to  sail  for 
home.  Her  last  letter  from  them  had  come  from  Athens. 
Mrs.  Carlton  had  not  written  the  news  of  the  tragedy  at 
Judge  Vernon's  because  she  knew  it  would  not  have 
time  to  reach  them  before  they  sailed. 

This  was  what  troubled  her  now.     It  was  possible 


30  THE  ME  DEM P  TION  OF  FREE  TO  WN. 

that  Inez  and  Mr.  Carlton  might  reach  home  in  ignorance 
of  Claude's  death.  Mrs.  Carlton  suspected  that  before 
she  went  away  Inez  had  come  to  have  more  than  a  girl's 
fancy  for  Claude.  How  far  her  feelings  had  gone  the 
mother  did  not  know.  How  severely  the  blow  would  fall 
on  her  daughter  she  was  unable  to  conjecture.  But,  as 
she  looked  around  the  elegant  rooms,  heavily  perfumed 
with  the  evening's  adornment,  she  could  not  avoid  a  feel- 
ing of  dread  at  what  the  home-coming  of  the  father  and 
daughter  might  mean.  With  it  all  was  also  more  than  a 
vague  self-reproach  that  this  party  had  followed  so  close 
upon  the  death  of  Claude  Vernon. 

She  rose  and  nervously  turned  out  the  light  in  one  of 
the  rooms,  as  if  to  shut  out  the  sight  of  the  evening's 
gayety.  She  even  carried  several  vases  of  roses  into  the 
library,  and  removed  from  the  hallway  some  of  the  carna- 
tions that  had  stood  there.  As  she  came  back  and 
opened  the  door,  feeling  oppressed  by  the  air  in  the  house, 
a  carriage  drove  up,  and  the  travellers  greeted  her  gayly 
as  they  came  up  the  veranda  steps. 

With  the  first  glance  at  her  daughter,  whose  face  she 
sought  even  before  that  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Carlton 
knew  that  she  was  still  ignorant  of  Claude's  death. 

"Why,  mother,  you  have  been  having  a  gay  time 
during  our  absence.  '  When  the  cat 's  away,  the  mice  will 
play ; '  is  n't  that  so,  father  ?"  cried  Inez,  as  she  flung  her 
arms  about  her  mother,  while  Mr.  Carlton  said  something 
with  a  laugh,  and  kissed  his  wife  as  she  turned  to  him 
from  her  daughter's  embrace. 

"  I  Ve  been  having  a  little  company  to-night,"  Mrs. 
Carlton  answered  slowly.  "  Just  a  few  of  our  friends. 
It  was  such  a  disappointment  that  you  came  just  too 
late  for  it." 

"  Who  has  been  here,  mother  ?  "  asked  Inez,  as  she  put 
her  arm  about  her  mother  and  playfully  drew  her  into 
the  dining-room. 


ill 


INEZ  COMES  HOMK. 


81 


32  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

"Don't  you  and  Frank  want  something  to  eat?" 
Mrs.  'Carlton  desperately  fought  against  the  inevitable 
disclosure  that  must  come. 

"  Yes.  I  'm  hungry.  We  rushed  every  minute  of  the 
way  from  New  York.  Did  n't  even  take  time  to  read 
the  papers.  What's  happened  since  we've  been  away? 
But  you  have  not  told  us  who  was  here." 

Inez,  still  talking,  sat  down  at  the  table,  and  Mrs. 
Carlton  ordered  one  of  the  servants  to  bring  in  refresh- 
ments. 

Mrs.  Carlton  murmured  over  the  names  of  several 
people. 

Her  manner  was  so  agitated  that  her  daughter  and 
husband  both  noticed  it. 

"  What 's  the  matter,  Louise  ?  Are  you  ill  ? "  asked 
her  husband. 

"  No,  but  I  'm  very  tired,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Carlton. 
She  was  almost  hysterical  in  her  nervousness  as  she  saw 
no  way  of  escaping  the  dreadful  news.  The  more  she 
looked  at  Inez,  the  more  she  was  struck  with  a  new 
look  on  the  girl's  face.  It  was  the  look  a  girl  would 
carry  who  had  recently  come  to  know  what  love  is. 

"Mother,"  Inez  rattled  on,  "you  have  not  given  the 
whole  list  of  those  who  were  here ;  was,  was — Claude 
Vernon  here  ?  " 

The  girl  looked  at  her  mother  with  a  blush  on  her 
face,  and  then  suddenly  with  an  impulsive  gesture  she 
said,  as  she  held  her  hand  out  over  the  table  :  "  Mother, 
I  must  tell  you !  Father  knows.  Claude  asked  me  a 
week  before  we  sailed  from  Havre.  We  are  engaged. 
We—." 

She  paused,  seeing  that  in  her  mother's  face  which 
drove  the  color  out  of  her  own.  Mrs.  Carlton  sat  there 
in  miserable  silence.  She  hoped  she  might  faint.  She 
hoped  for  anything  that  would  relieve  her  of  the  horror 
of  the  occasion. 


THE  CARLTONS*  TROUBLE.  33 

"  Mother !  "  cried  Inez,  "  what  is  it  ?  "  She  ran  around 
the  table,  and  Mr.  Carlton  at  the  same  time  came  and 
supported  his  wife. 

"  O,  it  is  too  terrible  !  I  cannot !     I  cannot  tell  it ! " 

"  What !  Is  it  Claude  ?  Is  anything  the  matter  ?  "  cried 
Inez,  swiftly  imagining  evil  where  she  loved  the  most. 

"  Yes  !  Yes  !  O  my  God  !  O  child !  Claude  is  — ." 

"  He  is  dead ! "  said  Inez  calmly,  but  in  a  strange 
voice. 

Mrs.  Carlton  threw  her  arms  about  her  daughter  and 
sobbed  hysterically.  When  she  finally  recovered  to 
realize  what  the  news  meant,  Inez  lay  unconscious  in  her 
mother's  arms.  She  had  fainted. 

Mr.  Carlton  took  her  and  laid  her  down,  and  tele- 
phoned fora  doctor.  As  he  came  back  into  the  room,  his 
wife  flung  her  arms  on  the  table,  weeping  aloud.  She 
was  unmindful  of  the  fact  that  one  of  her  hands  had  struck 
a  vase  of  roses  and  upset  it.  The  flowers  lay  across  her 
arm,  and  the  vase  lay  in  broken  fragments  across  the 
table. 

It  was  the  morning  after  the  party  at  the  Carltons',  and 
Rev.  Howard  Douglass  was  talking  with  his  wife  about 
the  subject  which  now  absorbed  nearly  all  his  thought. 

"  If  we  could  only  get  the  society  people  interested  in 
the  plan  !  O,  if  we  could  only  get  the  money  that  is  used 
simply  for  parties  and  entertainments,  we  could  carry 
out  the  plan  of  redeeming  Freetown  with  every  prospect 
of  success." 

He  spoke  anxiously,  and  his  wife  listened  sympatheti- 
cally. 

"Now  imagine,"  he  continued,  "a  woman  like  Mrs. 
Carlton  ready  to  throw  the  weight  of  her  social  influence 
on  the  side  of  our  attempt  to  uplift  and  change  Freetown. 
She  is  a  leader  in  social  circles.  She  has  money  and 
friends  and  leisure  and  ability.  And  yet  she  spends  her 
time  and  strength  in  the  regular  round  of  parties  and 


34  THE  REDEMP  Tl  ON  OF  FREE  TO  WN. 

receptions  year  after  year.  The  money  spent  on  her 
party  last  night  might  go  a  long  way  toward  building  the 
foundation  of  our  social-settlement  hall." 

"That's  true,"  Mrs.  Douglass  said  thoughtfully.  Then 
after  a  pause  she  went  on.  "  Howard,  somehow  I  have 
felt  lately  as  if  a  change  was  to  come  over  that  woman's 
life.  Have  you  thought  that  Inez  Carlton  was  beginning 
to  think  a  good  deal  of  Claude  Vernon  before  she  went 
abroad  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Mr.  Douglass,  somewhat  startled. 

"  I  have.  If  the  girl  comes  home  to  receive  the  news 
of  his  death,  it  will  change  her  life  and  her  mother's 
possibly." 

"  I  have  never  thought  of  such  a  thing.  The  woman 
seems  wholly  given  over  to  her  social  life.  It  seems  to 
me  like  an  awful  waste  of  God's  time  and  money  to 
spend  them  as  she  does  all  these  years.  If  we  could  in 
some  way  make  her  see  the  needs  of  Freetown !  We 
need  money  and  influence  to  do  what  ought  to  be  done 
over  there." 

He  was  still  talking  when  the  bell  rung.  He  was  near 
the  stairs,  on  his  way  to  his  morning's  work  in  his  study. 

He  opened  the  door,  and  a  messenger  handed  him  a 
note.  It  read  as  follows  : — 

"My  Dear  Mr.  Douglass: — Mrs.  Carlton  and  Inez  would 
like  to  see  you.  Can  you  call  at  the  house  this  morning?  We 
are  in  trouble.  Very  truly  yours, 

"  FRANK  L.  CARLTON." 

The  minister  handed  the  note  to  his  wife  without  a 
word. 

"  Perhaps  the  Lord  is  leading  her  in  some  way  of  his 
own,"  she  said,  and  the  words  sounded  in  Howard 
Douglass's  ears  repeatedly  as  he  hurried  toward  the 
Carlton  mansion,  not  knowing  why  he  had  been  sum- 
moned there. 


CHAPTER  V. 
CALLERS   AT   MR.   DOUGLASS'S. 

AVE  you  heard  the  strange  news  ? "  asked 
Isabel  Vernon  of  her  sister  Winifred  several 
days  after  that  night  when  Inez  Carlton  had 
fainted  in  her  mother's  arms. 
m  *  "No.  Don't  make  me  guess;  tell  me,"  re- 
plied Winifred  languidly.  She  was  engaged  in  untying 
some  knots  in  a  skein  of  embroidery-silk.  Isabel  had 
just  come  into  the  room.  She  looked  strangely  excited. 

"  Did  you  know  that  Claude  was  engaged  to  Inez 
while  she  was  abroad?" 

Winifred  dropped  her  work  on  the  floor.  Her  face 
trembled,  and  her  whole  manner  showed  excitement. 

"  I  knew  he  cared  a  good  deal  for  her.  But  not  that 
way." 

"  He  did.  I  have  been  to  see  Inez.  But  that  is  not 
the  strange  news  I  have  to  tell." 

Isabel  showed  the  marks  of  the  recent  death  of  Claude. 
She  trembled  while  she  spoke,  and  her  face  was  pale 
and  drawn. 

"  Inez  and  her  mother  are  going  to  help  Mr.  Douglass 
in  his  work  in  Freetown ! " 

"What?" 

"  Inez  told  me  so  this  morning.  She — she  wants  us  to 
help  her." 

There  was  a  silence  in  the  room.  Winifred  clasped 
her  hands  together,  and  her  lips  trembled  with  inward 
passion. 

86 


36 


CALLERS  AT  MR.  DOUGLASS'S.  37 

"Does  she  know  that  Claude  was  probably  killed  by 
that — that  awful  wretch  in  Freetown  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  I  suppose  she  has  heard.  I  could  not 
talk  with  her.  Mrs.  Carlton  is  not  the  same  woman. 
It  is  all  so  horribly  queer.  I  do  not  understand  it." 

"  What  do  they  intend  to  do  ? "  asked  Winifred 
vaguely. 

"  O,  I  don't  know.  They  are  going  to  help  Mr.  Douglass 
build  that  social-settlement  hall  he  talks  so  much  about. 
I  don't  like  to  think  of  it." 

"How  did  Inez  look?"  asked  Winifred,  after  a  little. 

"  O,  I  don't  know.  Don't  ask  me.  The  whole  thing  is 
dreadful." 

"  Do  you  think  she  cared  very  much  for  Claude  ?  " 

"What  do  you  think,  when  she  is  ready  to  work  for 
the  people  that  caused  his  death?" 

Winifred  shuddered  and  Isabel  was  silent.  Neither  of 
them  could  think  or  talk  of  Claude's  death  without  a 
feeling  of  repulsion  toward  everything  connected  with 
the  work  in  Freetown. 

That  same  evening  Howard  Douglass  was  going  over 
the  details  of  his  plan  with  his  wife. 

"  Now  that  Mrs.  Carlton  has  offered  to  help,  we  can 
begin  at  once  on  the  social-settlement  hall." 

"  It  is  like  a  story.  Who  would  have  thought  that 
Mrs.  Carlton  would  ever  offer  to  do  such  a  thing?" 

Mr.  Douglass  thoughtfully  spread  some  papers  out 
over  the  table,  and  then  wrote  something  before  he 
spoke. 

"  Yes,  it  is  simply  a  miracle  of  changes  in  her  case  and 
that  of  Miss  Inez.  Mrs.  Carlton  has  offered  to  give  two 
thousand  dollars  toward  the  building.  I  have  suggested 
that  she  use  her  influence  to  get  other  society  people  in 
Merton  to  have  a  share  in  the  work.  In  fact,  the  re- 
demption of  Freetown  ought  to  be  a  part  of  the  whole 
city's  life.  The  work  to  be  done  is  so  large  that  no  one 


38  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

church  or  person  or  organization  can  do  it.  If  we  can 
only  get  the  help  of  all  the  people  who  have  means,  we 
can  do  wonders  in  Freetown." 

There  was  silence  again  as  the  minister  wrote.  Pres- 
ently he  looked  up  and  said,  "  Do  you  want  to  hear  the 
plan  as  I  have  it  on  paper  ?  " 

Before  his  wife  could  answer,  the  bell  rung.  The  minis- 
ter started  to  say  something  about  so  many  interruptions 
just  when  he  was  busiest.  The  minister  was  a  man,  and 
therefore  not  quite  perfect  yet.  His  wife  gave  him  a 
look  that  seemed  to  remind  him  of  something,  and  a 
smile  broke  out  over  his  face. 

"  Maybe  it's  angels  unawares,"  she  said,  as  he  walked 
toward  the  door. 

"  Maybe  it  is,  Mary.  Don't  you  think  their  visits  are 
very  few  and  far  between?"  said  the  minister.  But  he 
was  good-natured  as  he  opened  the  door. 

The  sight  of  the  people  who  stood  outside  startled  him. 

"We  don't  wonder  that  you  are  surprised,"  said  Judge 
Vernon.  "The  fact  is,  that  we  are  a  little  surprised  at 
ourselves.  But  we  all  seemed  to  reach  your  door  at  the 
same  time  without  knowing  that  the  others  were  com- 
ing; and,  if  I  'm  not  mistaken,  we  have  all  come  on  the 
same  errand." 

"  Come  in,"  said  the  minister  somewhat  bewildered. 
And  there  came  into  the  house  Judge  Vernon,  the  Hon. 
William  Brooks,  Deacon  Culver,  and  Mr.  Carlton. 

When  they  had  greeted  Mrs.  Douglass  and  were 
seated,  Judge  Vernon  said  gravely,  "  I  came  to  see  Mr. 
Douglass  about  the  work  in  Freetown." 

"  That  is  what  I  came  for,"  said  the  other  men  in  turn. 

The  minister  looked  bewildered  yet.  It  was  so  seldom 
that  anybody  ever  came  voluntarily  to  see  him  about 
doing  anything  of  that  sort  that  he  hardly  knew  what  to 
say.  The  last  men  in  the  city  that  he  expected  to  see, 
with  the  exception  of  his  deacon,  were  the  three  men  who 


CALLERS  AT  AIR.  DOUGLASS'S.  39 

were  now  in  his  house.  Judge  Vernon  had  never  called 
on  him.  The  Hon.  William  Brooks  was  a  shrewd  poli- 
tician and  an  able  lawyer,  but  his  connection  with  the 
Emmanuel  Church  had  never  gone  any  further  than 
attendance  on  services  and  financial  support.  Mr. 
Carlton  was  almost  a  stranger,  and  belonged  to  an- 
other denomination.  So  the  Rev.  Howard  Douglass 
might  be  excused  if  he  looked  and  felt  somewhat  sur- 
prised. 

But  he  was  able  to  enjoy  the  unexpected  co-operation 
of  these  men,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they  were  all  in  the 
midst  of  a  great  discussion  over  the  minister's  plan. 

"  In  brief,"  the  minister  was  saying  at  the  close  of  an 
hour's  talk,  "  the  plan  includes : — 

"  i.  A  building  constructed  on  purpose  for  the  work  we 
need  to  do.  This  will  cost  anywhere  from  two  thousand 
to  three  thousand  dollars. 

"2.  This  building  must  be  equipped  for  kindergarten 
work.  It  must  contain  a  day-nursery  for  the  babies  of 
mothers  who  are  obliged  to  go  away  from  home  all  day 
to  labor,  a  kitchen  where  cooking  can  be  taught,  bath- 
rooms, a  reading-room,  smaller  rooms  for  classes  in  sew- 
ing or  music,  a  dispensary,  an  office,  and  a  basement 
fitted  for  teaching  trades. 

"3.  The  plan  also  includes  a  list  of  premiums  or  prizes 
given  to  the  people  of  Freetown  to  encourage  neatness, 
thrift,  and  industry.  These  prizes  are  to  be  offered  for 
the  best  gardens,  the  finest  individual  collection  of  vege- 
tables, the  neatest-looking  front  and  back  yard  and  alley, 
the  neatest  interior  of  a  house,  the  best  flower-beds,  the 
largest  and  best  fruit-garden,  and  the  most  improve- 
ments on  any  place  in  a  year. 

"4.  The  plan  also  includes  the  establishment  of  regu- 
lar Sunday  work,  a  Sunday  school,  preaching  services, 
good  music,  and  distribution  of  good  reading-matter  at 
the  houses  during  the  afternoon. 


40  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

"5.  To  make  the  plan  succeed,  we  must  have  money 
enough  to  endow  the  institution.  It  must  be  permanent 
in  its  character  in  order  to  produce  results.  As  much 
money  must  be  put  into  it  as  is  put  into  a  business  of 
any  sort  where  we  expect  to  get  large  results.  Over 
$50,000,000  are  invested  in  the  bicycle  industry  in  the 
United  States.  The  redemption  of  Freetown  is  of  much 
more  importance  to  the  human  race  than  all  the  bicycles 
in  the  world.  It  is  useless  to  expect  to  lift  up  the  people 
over  there  unless  we  can  get  and  use  large  sums  of 
money.  I  have  estimated  that  it  will  take  from  $2,000  to 
$3,000  a  year  to  maintain  the  work  in  Freetown  on  a  suc- 
cessful basis. 

"6.  The  last  point  in  the  plan  is  the  most  important." 

The  minister  paused  in  his  reading,  and  looked  around 
at  the  three  men.  They  were  all  very  much  interested, 
and  Judge  Vernon  and  Mr.  Carlton  seemed  to  be 
specially  excited.  Mr.  Douglass  went  on. 

"What  is  absolutely  necessary  to  the  success  of  this 
plan  is  the  voluntary  residence  in  the  heart  of  Freetown 
of  some  of  the  best  men  and  women  in  Merton.  That 
is,  the  house  must  contain,  all  the  year  around,  Christian 
men  and  women  who  are  willing  to  live  for  certain  weeks 
or  months  with  the  work,  direct  it  from  the  centre,  and 
give  their  talents,  their  strength,  their  wisdom,  person- 
ally to  a  solution  of  the  terrible  problems  over  there. 
We  can  get  money  to  build  the  house ;  we  can  get 
premiums  to  carry  out  our  plans  for  encouraging  indus- 
try; we  can  get  enough  money,  probably,  to  endow  the 
work. 

"  The  question  now  is,  Can  we  get  people,  the  best  and 
best-known,  and  most  able  to  go  over  there  and  live  with 
the  people  ?  That,  to  my  mind,  is  the  heart  of  the  problem. 
When  the  Christian  world  is  willing  to  give  itself  to  the 
redemption  of  the  unchristian  world,  it  will  be  redeemed. 
When  Christian  Merton  is  willing  to  give  itself  for 


CALLERS  AT  MR.  DOUGLASS'S.  41 

unchristian  Freetown,  it  will  be  redeemed.  The  question 
really  is,  How  many  of  the  best  men  and  women  are 
ready  to  go  and  live  for  a  while  in  that  house  ? 

"  Here  in  Merton  are  hundreds  of  men  and  women 
who  spend  night  after  night  in  parties,  amusing  them- 
selves ;  how  many  of  them  will  take  that  time  to  help 
redeem  a  part  of  the  city  ?  Here  in  Merton  are  scores  of 
able,  capable  men  who  spend  hours  in  political  discussions 
or  in  attendance  on  political  gatherings;  how  many  of 
them  will  do  anything  personally  to  help  restore  lost 
souls  ?  Here  in  Merton  are  hundreds  of  young  people 
who  have  health  and  ambition  and  high  aims;  how  many 
of  them  will  suffer  personally  to  relieve  suffering?  What 
is  needed  in  this  work  is  not  a  few  weak,  uneducated, 
unequipped  good  people,  but  the  best  we  have  in  the 
social  and  literary  and  political  life  of  Merton. 

"  There  is  no  question  in  my  mind  that  the  success  of 
the  whole  plan  will  depend  on  the  kind  of  people  who 
are  willing  to  go  and  live  in  the  social  settlement  and, 
by  their  living,  personal  presence,  touch  at  close  quar- 
ters the  sin  and  misery  and  crime  of  that  lost  part  of  our 
city.  The  question  is,  Who  will  go?" 

Mr.  Carlton  had  not  said  a  word  since  the  first  greeting. 
He  now  spoke  in  a  voice  that  showed  great  emotion. 
The  rest  leaned  forward  and  listened  eagerly.  Over 
them  all  the  Spirit  of  God  brooded  in  eager  expectation. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
SOME    MOMENTOUS    DECISIONS. 

'E  are  ready  to  live  in  the  settlement  house," 
said  Mr.  Carlton  slowly ;  "  Mrs.  Carlton, 
Inez,  and  myself." 

His  announcement  was  received  by  the 
others  in  perfect  silence. 

At  last  Judge  Vernon  spoke  in  a  tone  that  revealed 
very  strong  emotion.  "  It  may  not  be  possible  for  all  of 
us  to  do  as  Mr.  Carlton  has  decided.  Not  all  the  people 
in  Merton  can  become  residents  in  Freetown.  But  I 
came  here  to-night  to  say  this :  I  will  reside  in  the 
house  a  part  of  the  time  and  give  my  personal  attention 
to  whatever  part  of  the  work  over  there  I  can  help  most." 

Again  there  was  silence.  The  Rev.  Howard  Douglass 
said  afterward  that  all  during  that  evening's  experience 
he  felt  so  astonished  at  the  unexpected  volunteers  for  the 
work  that  he  was  like  one  who  sees  things  in  a  dream. 

The  Hon.  William  Brooks  had  listened  with  head  bent 
and  a  look  of  strange  hesitation  on  his  face.  He  now 
lifted  his  head,  and  looked  directly  at  the  minister. 

"  Mr.  Douglass,  the  Sunday  that  you  spoke  about  this 
plan  for  redeeming  Freetown  I  walked  home  with 
Deacon  Culver  here,  and  in  a  talk  with  him  I  criticised 
the  plan  and  expressed  my  doubts  as  to  its  success.  I 
came  here  to-night  to  offer  my  services  to  make  your 
plan  a  success.  You  are  entirely  right  when  you  say 
that  money  alone  cannot  do  this  work.  You  are  right 

43 


SOME  MOMENTOUS  DECISIONS.  43 

when  you  say  that  people  must  go  and  live  there  them- 
selves." 

He  stopped  suddenly,  and  the  Rev.  Howard  Douglass 
returned  his  look,  while  the  color  rose  in  each  man's 
face. 

"Will  you  live  there  yourself?"  The  minister  asked 
it  as  if  the  other  man  had  compelled  the  question. 
Indeed,  he  said  afterward  that  it  seemed  absolutely 
necessary  to  make  Mr.  Brooks  commit  himself  directly 
on  that  point. 

No  one  spoke  for  a  moment.  The  stillness  was  deep 
and  full  of  meaning. 

"  Yes,  I  will,"  said  the  voice  of  the  lawyer  at  last. 
Probably  he  had  never  spoken  three  words  that  cost 
more  or  meant  more  to  a  large  number  of  souls. 

No  one  spoke  again  for  a  moment.  There  seemed 
to  be  a  tension  in  every  man's  mind,  but  a  great  hesita- 
tion to  expel  it  with  the  spoken  thought.  Deacon  Culver 
said  at  last :  "  Mrs.  Culver  and  I  will  do  our  part.  I  am 
fully  in  sympathy  with  the  pastor's  plan." 

"Mrs.  Douglass  and  I  have  decided  our  course.  We 
will  make  our  home  for  the  time  in  the  settlement. 
I  need  hardly  say  that  we  are  deeply  moved  by  this 
unexpected  beginning  of  the  work.  The  Spirit  of  God 
has  certainly  moved  all  your  hearts.  I  have  been  guilty 
of  questioning  God's  power.  What  I  have  heard  to-night 
shows  me  that  nothing  is  too  hard  for  him."  The 
minister's  voice  trembled ;  and,  as  he  looked  into  the 
faces  of  those  men,  he  felt  that  the  victory  of  good 
over  evil  was  possible.  He  saw  already  the  redemption 
of  Freetown  a  reality. 

They  sat  long  together,  and  talked  over  details  of  the 
plan.  The  longer  they  counselled  together,  the  more 
convinced  they  all  felt  that  the  work  they  were  about  to 
do  was  a  work  of  such  tremendous  power  and  value  that 
it  could  not  be  measured  by  money  or  mental  effort. 


SOME  MOMENTOUS  DECISIONS.  45 

During  the  conference  it  became  evident  that  the 
same  influences  had  been  moving  those  men  to  decide 
their  relation  to  the  social  settlement.  The  tragedy  in 
Judge  Vernon's  home  had  affected  him  profoundly.  He 
read  in  the  events  which  had  led  to  his  son's  death  the 
lesson  of  personal  responsibility  for  the  redemption  of 
Freetown.  It  was  learned  long  afterwards  that  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Carlton  and  Inez  had  made  the  complete  change  in 
their  lives  through  the  effect  of  that  tragic  incident  on 
Inez.  No  power  of  man  could  ever  have  wrought  so 
complete  and  astonishing  a  change.  The  divine  Spirit 
had  moved  their  hearts  and  made  them  new  creatures. 
The  Hon.  William  Brooks  had  reasoned  himself  to  a 
logical  acceptance  of  the  minister's  plan  ;  and  then,  tired 
of  the  indifference  and  selfishness  of  an  observer  of 
human  wretchedness  who  criticises  others,  he  had  sud- 
denly determined  to  give  himself,  where  for  so  many 
years  he  had  simply  given  his  opinions.  But  although 
he  himself  did  not  acknowledge  it  at  the  time,  he  also 
was  led  by  the  same  Spirit  which  can  make  proud  men 
yield  themselves  and  enter  the  Kingdom  as  a  little 
child. 

During  the  next  few  days  the  city  of  Merton  experi- 
enced a  sensation  when  it  was  told  the  news  of  that 
meeting  at  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Howard  Douglass. 
There  was  nothing  very  remarkable  in  the  fact  that  Mr. 
Douglass  and  Deacon  Culver  had  promised  to  go  and 
live  a  part  of  the  time  in  the  social  settlement.  But 
when  it  became  known  that  Judge  Vernon,  Mr.  Carlton, 
and  the  Hon.  William  Brooks  expected  to  work  in  Free- 
town, and  actually  take  up  their  residence  a  part  of  the 
time  in  the  house,  everybody  exclaimed  in  wonder. 

Perhaps  the  best  idea  of  the  way  in  which  the  people 
of  Merton  regarded  the  facts  may  be  obtained  from  a 
conversation  that  occurred  at  one  of  the  society  events 
of  that  winter. 


46  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

It  was  in  the  house  of  Mrs.  James  Lewis,  the  wife  of 
one  of  the  railroad  officials.  Mrs.  Lewis  was  president 
of  the  United  Clubs  of  the  women  of  Merton.  Her 
influence  in  the  city  was  second  only  to  that  of  Mrs. 
Carlton.  The  two  women,  each  in  her  own  circle,  had 
been  leaders  for  many  years.  Mrs.  Lewis  was  very  lit- 
erary, and  had  a  talent  for  organization.  The  United 
Clubs  often  gave  a  series  of  lectures  by  well-known 
women  speakers.  Once  every  winter  they  met  at  the 
house  of  Mrs.  Lewis  for  a  reception.  It  was  this  event 
that  was  the  scene  of  a  spirited  discussion  over  the  news 
of  Mr.  Douglass's  plan  and  its  unexpected  volunteers. 

"  The  plan  is  simply  absurd,"  said  the  wife  of  one  of 
the  editors  of  The  Daily  News.  "  It  is  one  of  those 
things  that  belong  to  dreams,  but  have  no  place  in  prac- 
tical life." 

"But  still,  some  of  the  best  things  in  the  world  come 
from  the  people  who  have  visions.  Do  you  remember 
what  Mrs.  Garnet  said  in  her  last  lecture?  'The  ideal 
in  life  is  always  preceded  by  the  visionary.  Some  one 
must  dream  before  any  one  will  act.'  There  is  a  great 
truth  at  the  heart  of  that  social  settlement." 

There  was  a  pause  for  a  moment  in  the  room  where 
the  discussion  was  going  on.  Before  it  was  broken, 
Mrs.  Lewis  came  to  the  door. 

"  Mrs.  Lewis,  what  do  you  think  of  it  ? "  asked  the 
editor's  wife. 

"  You  are  discussing  Mr.  Douglass's  plan  for  redeem- 
ing Freetown  ?  I  overheard  a  part  of  it.  I  '11  tell  you. 
He  has  been  to  see  me  about  it.  Shall  I  tell  what  he 
asks  us  to  do  ?  " 

"  By  all  means ! "  exclaimed  an  excited  chorus  of 
voices. 

"  He  wants  the  United  Clubs  of  Merton  to  work  for  an 
endowment  fund,  so  that  the  social  settlement  will  be- 
come a  permanent  institution." 


SOME  MOMENTOUS  DECISIONS.  47 

There  was  silence  a  moment.  The  women  looked 
expressively  at  one  another. 

"  That  is  n't  what  we  are  organized  to  do,"  finally  said 
one  of  the  ladies. 

"Wholly  outside  of  our  sphere.  We  are  neither  a 
charity  nor  a  church  organization." 

"  It  will  break  up  our  meetings  for  literary  culture  if 
we  turn  aside  to  do  benevolent  work." 

"  But  still,"  said  another  voice  from  a  sweet-faced 
woman  who  had  not  yet  spoken,  "still,  isn't  it  a  pity 
that  we  should  get  together  so  often  year  after  year 
simply  to  study  the  Greeks  and  Romans  and  the  arts  and 
the  sciences,  and  never  study  the  city  in  which  we  live, 
its  needs,  its  condition,  its  degradation  ?  It  is  possible 
we  are  not  studying  the  most  important  things  of  life  in 
our  clubs." 

Mrs.  Lewis  looked  at  the  speaker  thoughtfully.  "  I 
have  been  thinking  of  that  also."  Every  one  in  the 
room  looked  surprised.  Mrs.  Lewis  went  on  :  "  We 
could  raise  a  great  deal  of  money  in  our  clubs  if  we  once 
determined  to  share  in  this  redemption  of  Freetown." 

"We  might  change  the  name  of  our  club  to  the  United 
Missionary  Society,"  said  a  sarcastic  voice.  "  I  beg  to 
be  excused,  ladies,  if  you  are  going  to  take  up  Freetown 
and  try  to  reform  it." 

"  Look  at  Mrs.  Carlton  and  Inez,"  said  another. 
"  Is  n't  that  a  seven  days'  wonder  ?  " 

",No  greater  than  Mr.  Brooks  or  Judge  Vernon.  The 
judge  must  be  made  of  strange  material." 

"  I  was  talking  with  Isabel — ." 

"  But,  ladies,"  cried  Mrs.  Lewis,  "  what  do  you  think 
we  ought  to  do  about  the  matter  of  helping  Mr.  Douglass  ?" 

"What  do  you  think?" 

"  I  am  in  favor  of  it.  What  have  we  ever  done  as  a 
club  for  the  real  uplift  of  the  city  where  it  needs  the 
most  help?  We  have  a  membership  in  the  United  Clubs 


48  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

of  nearly  one  thousand  members.  If  each  of  us  gave 
one  dollar,  that  would  go  a  long  way  toward  supporting 
the  social  settlement  for  a  year." 

Again  there  was  an  expressive  silence.  There  was 
assent  on  some  faces,  disapproval  on  others.  Mrs.  Lewis 
was  about  to  go  on,  when  she  was  suddenly  called  out  of 
the  room.  The  discussion  continued  after  she  was 
gone.  It  grew  more  animated  throughout  the  afternoon 
and  evening.  The  social  settlement  in  Freetown  became 
the  one  exciting  theme  of  conversation.  There  was  one 
large  element  that  seemed  ready  to  go  with  the  presi- 
dent and  pledge  the  United  Clubs  to  the  support  of  the 
work.  There  was  another  decided  group  of  women 
who  refused  to  entertain  the  idea  of  making  such  a 
radical  change  in  the  programme  of  regular  club  life. 

When  the  reception  was  over  and  everyone  had  gone 
home,  it  was  entirely  uncertain  whether  Mrs.  Lewis 
would  be  able  to  use  her  influence  to  persuade  the 
United  Clubs  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  work  of 
redeeming  Freetown.  Mrs.  Lewis  sat  very  thoughtful 
in  her  house  that  evening.  Several  times  she  said  to 
herself:  "O,  we  might,  we  ought.  Surely  we  are  not 
using  our  time  and  our  strength  to  the  highest  ad- 
vantage." But,  after  all,  she  was  unable  to  tell  whether 
her  influence  was  strong  enough  to  carry  the  majority 
of  the  clubs  with  her. 

Meanwhile,  the  prisoner  Burke  Williams  had  been 
awaiting  in  the  county  jail  the  carrying  out  of  the  sen- 
tence which  condemned  him  to  the  penitentiary  for 
twenty  years.  According  to  the  common  law  in  the  case, 
he  would  be  obliged  to  serve  out  the  time  for  his  first 
offence  before  being  tried  for  the  second.  But  various 
plans  had  been  tried  to  surprise  him  into  confessing  the 
crime  of  Claude  Vernon's  murder,  and  he  was  detained 
in  the  county  jail  beyond  the  regular  time. 

He  was  still  in  his  cell,  sullen  and  silent.    The  sheriff 


SOME  MOMENTOUS  DECISIONS.  49 

had  at  last  made  his  plans  to  convey  the  prisoner  to  the 
State  prison  on  the  day  when  Judge  Vernon  was  sitting 
in  a  case  where  another  negro  from  Freetown  was  under 
trial  for  a  serious  offence  against  the  State. 

Judge  Vernon  sat  there  pale  and  stern.  His  emotions 
were  conflicting.  The  man  on  trial  again  represented 
the  lost  part  of  the  city,  and  every  time  he  looked  at  his 
stolid,  brutal  face  the  judge  saw  the  face  of  the  other 
man,  and  pictured  him  on  his  way  to  his  twenty  years' 
confinement.  Could  such  a  spot  as  Freetown  be  re- 
deemed? Was  it  possible  to  save  such  souls  as  these? 
The  courtroom  was  crowded.  The  bailiff  had  just 
arisen  to  proclaim  the  opening  of  court.  Suddenly, 
near  the  door,  an  unusual  disturbance  was  notice- 
able. It  grew  in  volume.  All  eyes  were  turned  in  that 
direction.  Judge  Vernon  half  rose  from  his  seat;  and 
the  large  audience,  lawyers,  officers,  and  spectators, 
seemed  to  feel  as  by  a  united  wave  of  intelligence  that 
something  very  remarkable  had  happened. 


3 


CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  FREETOWN  SETTLEMENT  STARTED. 

THE  confusion  by  the  door  of  the  courtroom  in- 
creased. A  word  was  passed  from  lip  to  lip. 
Faces  grew  pale.  The  word  went  out  over  the 
waiting  spectators,  and  reached  the  bar  and 
the  county  attorney. 

The  attorney  rose,  and,  lifting  his  arm,  he  solemnly 
said,  while  the  confusion  suddenly  ceased  :  "  Your  honor, 
Burke  Williams's  case  has  been  called  up  to  a  higher 
court.  HeJias  rnmrnined  suirirlp  !  " 

Tudge  Vernon  grasppH  the  dpsk  in  front  r>f  him,  and 
for  a  moment  the  courtroom  swam  before  hi 


sion.  He  recovered  himself,  but  the  excitement  was  so 
great  and  the  tension  on  his  emotions  so  strong  that  he 
was  compelled  to  adjourn  the  court  for  the  day.  As  he 
passed  out  of  the  room,  the  lawyers  and  spectators 
quietly  made  way  for  him.  His  recent  experiences  had 
given  him  an  added  dignity  that  all  men  respected. 

The  [Hiiiiuiu  li.irl  hung  Ilium  If  In  run  of  (In  1i,iii,  of 
his  rpll  HP  ViaH  ]pff  nn  nrnfftEBJ^n-  —  Tho  myatcry  of 
Claude  Vernon's  death  remained  a  mystery  sr>  *ar  as  any 
actual  nrjoxxf^was  obtained,  and  the  prisoner  himself  had 
:  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth,  to  be  judged 
for  the  deeds  done  in  the  body.  What  that  judgment  is, 
only  the  last  great  day  can  disclose. 

The  news  of  the  suicide  stirred  the  people  of  Merton 
deeply. 

50 


51 


52  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

The  whole  affair,  together  with  Howard  Douglass's 
plan  and  its  reception  by  so  many  prominent  people, 
called  attention  to  Freetown  as  it  had  never  been  called 
during  the  history  of  the  city.  For  several  days  it  was 
the  absorbing  topic  of  conversation.  People  all  over 
the  city  discussed  the  situation.  One  of  the  most  inter- 
esting discussions  was  held  by  the  Christian  Endeavor 
society  of  the  Emmanuel  Church  a  week  after  the 
suicide. 

It  was  a  regular  business  session,  and  after  the  reports 
had  been  received,  the  president  rose  and  said  he  wanted 
to  present  the  case  of  Freetown  to  the  society. 

"  Mr.  Douglass  will  be  here  before  we  finish,  but  it 
seemed  to  me  it  would  be  a  good  thing  if  we  could  let 
him  know  something  definite  that  we  can  pledge  to  do 
to  help  the  work.  Some  of  us  have  been  talking  over 
the  work  for  several  weeks,  and  I  think  we  are  ready  to 
submit  a  line  of  suggestions  which  the  society  can  follow 
out  if  it  thinks  best." 

"f-maVp  a  motion,"  said  one  of  the  members  who  was 
a  college  student  anoTalways  wanted  business  to  proceed 
in  accordance  with  CttsJHftg*s""TV[anualj)t  Parliamentary 
Practice,"  "  that  we  pledge  ourselves  as  a  society  to  help 
in  the  work  at  Freetown  in  every  way  we  can.  We  can 
discuss  plans  in  detail  before  passing  the  motion." 

The  motion  was  seconded  by  half  a  dozen  eager  voices. 

"Now  for  suggestions,"  said  the  president. 

The  chairman  of  the  Christian-citizenship  committee 
rose. 

"  Our  committee  has  held  several  meetings  within  the 
past  month,  and  we  have  agreed  that  we  might  do  some 
good  work  in  the  settlement  house  by  having  meetings 
to  instruct  the  voters  in  Freetown  along  the  line  of  mu- 
nicipal politics.  We  could  have  classes  in  the  history  of 
political  movements,  take  up  the  city  government,  dis- 
cuss the  best  plans  for  electing  the  best  men,  etc.  This 


THE  FREETOWN  SETTLEMENT  STARTED.  53 

plan  has  already  been  tried  in  several  social  settlements 
with  great  success.  Our  committee  pledges  itself  to 
help  in  this  way." 

He  sat  down,  and  some  one  started  a  little  applause. 
It  swept  through  the  room,  and  ceased  only  when  the 
chairman  of  the  good-literature  committee  rose. 

"Our  committee  is  ready  to  fit  up  the  new  reading- 
room  in  the  social  settlement  with  magazines,  papers, 
and  books.  Besides  that,  we  believe  we  can  carry  good 
papers  to  the  different  houses  in  Freetown,  and  direct 
the  reading  by  means  of  reading-circles,  especially  in  the 
winter.  Our  main  object,  however,  will  be  to  help  make 
the  new  reading-room  attractive,  and  to  serve  as  libra- 
rians or  attendants  different  evenings  during  the  week,  if 
Mr.  Douglass  says  that  is  the  best  way  to  serve." 

"  Any  other  suggestions  ?  "  asked  the  president,  as  no 
one  spoke  for  a  moment. 

The  chairman  of  the  lookout  committee  rose  slowly. 
He  was  one  of  the  oldest  members  of  the  society  and  a 
good  worker,  but  talking  was  hard  work  for  him. 

"  Several  members  of  our  committee  think  the  cook- 
ing-classes in  Freetown  are  going  to  be  very  necessary. 
Referred  to  the  other  members  of  the  committee ;  the 
rest  of  them  are  girls." 

He  sat  down  amid  applause.  There  were  cries  for  one 
or  two  of  the  other  members  of  the  committee. 

"  It 's  true ! "  said  a  tall,  energetic-looking  girl,  as  she 
rose  and  spoke  very  decidedly.  "  It  makes  a  great  differ- 
ence with  the  morals  of  people  what  they  eat.  And 
some  of  us  girls  think  the  best  thing  we  could  do  to  help 
in  the  social  settlement  will  be  to  volunteer  our  services 
as  cooks  in  the  housekeeping  department,  and  teach  the 
colored  girls  over  there  the  best  ways,  and  help  fit  them 
for  service.  You  need  n't  laugh,  because  some  of  us  can 
cook.  Our  mothers  have  taught  us  how.  And  we  are 
ready  to  do  our  share." 


54  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

She  sat  down  amid  a  generous  clapping  of  hands,  and 
in  the  midst  of  it  Mr.  Douglass  walked  in. 

"  I  think  we  are  ready  to  hear  from  the  pastor  now," 
said  the  president,  as  Mr.  Douglass  sat  down  near 
him. 

"No;  go  on,  and  let  me  know  what  you  have  been 
doing,"  said  the  minister.  He  looked  tired,  but  his  face 
brightened  as  he  looked  over  the  room  and  saw  the  faces 
of  the  young  people.  There  was  inspiration  in  the  life 
there. 

The  president  gave  an  outline  of  the  work  suggested 
by  the  committees.  "  It  is  only  a  beginning  of  what  we 
can  do,  I  'm  sure,"  the  president  said  in  conclusion  ;  "  but 
we  want  to  be  of  use,  and  we  are  ready  to  learn." 

"Thank  God!"  cried  Howard  Douglass  to  himself 
softly,  while  his  eyes  filled  with  tears.  " '  For  Christ  and 
the  church.'  Why,  we  can  turn  the  world  out  of  the 
hand  of  evil  into  the  arms  of  good  if  we  only  have 
enough  volunteer  service  like  this." 

He  stayed  a  long  time,  talking  over  plans  with  the 
society ;  and,  when  he  finally  walked  home,  he  carried  in 
his  heart  a  great  encouragement  that  in  the  coming  fight 
for  souls  in  Freetown  he  had  for  helpers  the  united, 
enthusiastic,  whole-hearted  service  of  his  society. 

The  next  few  weeks  saw  the  history  of  the  new  move- 
ment made  very  fast. 

One  of  the  daily  papers  of  Merton  volunteered  to  re- 
ceive money  for  an  endowment  fund,  and  even  agreed  to 
publish  a  series  of  articles  on  social  settlements,  in  order 
to  awaken  interest  in  the  movement  and  show  that  they 
were  of  practical  value  in  the  solution  of  great  human 
problems.  This  series  was  actually  printed  and  eagerly 
read  by  the  subscribers.  It  was  so  popular  that  the 
editor  followed  it  up  with  another  series  on  the  proposed 
plan  to  redeem  Freetown,  accompanied  by  sketches  of 
the  building,  a  description  of  its  general  plan,  and  a 


THE  FREETOWN  SETTLEMENT  STARTED.  55 

detailed  account  of  the  premium  list  for  the  best  houses 
and  gardens  in  the  district. 

The  whole  city  became  profoundly  interested  as  the 
time  drew  near  for  the  completion  of  the  settlement 
house  and  its  occupation  by  the  volunteer  residents. 
Perhaps  no  one  event  had  ever  stirred  social  circles  as 
this  one.  Mrs.  Carlton's  influence  had  been  very  large. 
So  far,  her  example  in  the  way  of  financial  help  for  the 
settlement  had  not  been  imitated  by  any  other  society 
people.  The  winter  had  been  a  very  gay  one.  Even 
Claude  Vernon's  tragic  death  and  Inez  Carlton's  sad 
experience  had  not  made  any  lasting  impression  on  the 
pleasure-seekers  of  Merton.  Does  an  address  at  a 
funeral  ever  convert  any  one?  It  is  a  question  whether, 
out  of  all  the  social  acquaintances  that  Inez  had,  another 
girl  was  ready  to  give  up  her  regular  life  of  amusement 
to  do  or  to  be  anything  different  for  the  sake  of  helping 
suffering  humanity.  They  all  wondered  at  Inez.  She 
moved  among  them,  quiet,  reserved,  the  dignity  of  a 
great  sorrow  suddenly  acquired  adding  to  the  sweetness 
of  her  character;  but  she  was  not  like  the  Inez  her  once 
intimate  friends  had  known.  Nothing  develops  deep 
character  like  sorrow,  if  the  hand  of  God  is  allowed  to 
soothe  and  elevate  it.  And  nothing  is  so  selfish  as  sor- 
row when  God  is  shut  out  of  a  wounded  heart. 

There  was,  nevertheless,  all  through  society  a  great 
feeling  of  real  curiosity  to  know  how  the  Carltons,  Judge 
Vernon,  Mr.  Brooks,  and  the  minister's  family  would 
manage  the  affairs  of  the  social  settlement,  and  what  the 
effects  of  their  actual  living  there  would  be  on  the 
people  of  Freetown. 

In  addition  to  this,  the  probable  action  of  the  United 
Clubs  of  the  women  of  Merton  was  still  undecided. 
Would  Mrs.  Lewis  be  able  to  secure  the  help  of  a  major- 
ity of  the  clubs  in  assisting  the  financial  side  of  the  work  ? 
It  was  a  question.  No  one  could  answer  it  yet.  Howard 


56  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

Douglass,  with  a  faith  in  future  gifts  for  the  work,  went 
on  with  the  building.  He  had  secured  from  various 
sources,  notably  from  the  churches  of  Merton,  enough 
money  to  warrant  the  care  of  the  settlement  work  for  a 
year.  What  it  needed,  however,  was  a  permanent  endow- 
ment. If  Mrs.  Lewis  succeeded  in  enlisting  the  co-opera- 
tion of  all  the  clubs,  that  endowment  was  practically 
assured.  But  when  the  building  was  finally  completed 
and  ready  for  its  residents,  the  United  Clubs  had  not  yet 
decided  their  course. 

Merton  will  never  forget  that  day  of  the  dedication  of 
Freetown  social  settlement.  Freetown  was  stirred  as  by 
the  hand  of  God.  Howard  Douglass  and  his  wife,  Judge 
Vernon,  the  Carltons,  Mr.  Brooks,  Mrs.  Lewis,  the  news- 
paper editors,  the  representative  business  men,  the  minis- 
ters of  the  other  churches,  the  leaders  in  social  circles 
even,  crowded  into  the  beautiful  hall  of  the  settlement 
that  day. 

Howard  Douglass  arose  to  offer  the  dedicatory  prayer 
after  the  preliminary  exercises  had  passed.  He  prayed 
that  the  place  where  the  building  now  stood  might  be 
redeemed,  brought  back,  saved  for  God.  Would  his 
prayer  be  answered  ?  Could  Freetown  be  redeemed  ? 
The  great  audience  was  swayed  by  one  feeling,  and 
through  the  room,  as  the  prayer  went  on,  a  breath  of  the 
divine  Spirit  swept,  and  all  hearts  present  felt  its  benefi- 
cent benediction. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
FIFTEEN    YEARS    AFTER. 

Mr.  Alfred  Harris,  member  of  the  Associated  Press  Bureau,  to 
Walter  R.  Stoddard,  editor  of  The  Boston  Message : — 

MERTON,  FEB.  12,  1914. 

"  My  Dear  Stoddard:  —  I  was  sent  here,  as  you  know, 
to  write  up  the  social  settlement  in  Freetown ;  and  I 
have  done  the  best  I  could,  and  am  ready  to  start  West 
to-morrow.  But  I  feel  tempted  to  let  you  know  some- 
thing in  this  letter  that  I  did  not  feel  like  putting  into  my 
report. 

"  Merton  is  a  city  of  about  50,000  people,  a  railroad 
centre,  and  a  place  of  good  residence  and  business  life. 

"  Fifteen  years  ago  a  district  known  as  Freetown, 
settled  by  negroes,  had  the  reputation  of  being  the 
source  of  more  crime  and  social  trouble  than  any  other 
part  of  the  city.  The  son  of  one  of  the  district  court 
judges  was  found  one  night  unconscious,  wounded,  and 
robbed  in  this  district.  It  was  supposed  at  the  time  that 
he  was  assaulted  by  a  criminal  by  the  name  of  Williams, 
who  committed  suicide  while  in  jail.  This  was  after- 
ward proved  to  be  false ;  as  I  shall  speak  of  this  later 
on,  I  will  not  go  into  the  details  of  it  here. 

"What  I  wanted  to  write  about  particularly  was  the 
personality  of  the  social-settlement  work  now  finally 
established  in  Freetown. 

"  Rev.  Howard   Douglass   and   his   church  (the   Em- 

57 


58  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

manuel)  proposed  the  building  of  a  house  in  Freetown 
where  some  of  the  most  prominent  families  in  Merton 
agreed  to  live  during  all  or  part  of  the  time,  for  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  redeeming  the  place  from  sin  and 
fitting  it  up  into  a  transformed  human  life. 

"  It  is  not  exaggerating  the  facts  to  say  that  what  was 
planned  fifteen  years  ago  has  been  carried  out  with  the 
most  remarkable  results.  Let  me  tell  you  a  little  about 
them. 

"  First,  there  was  the  building  itself,  built  largely  by 
the  gifts  of  Mrs.  Carlton,  who  had  been  a  social  leader 
in  Merton  for  many  years.  Her  original  gift  was  three 
thousand  dollars.  She  afterwards  increased  it  to  five 
thousand.  The  building  contained  a  large  kindergarten 
and  assembly  hall,  a  housekeeping  department,  a  read- 
ing-room, a  dispensary,  a  nursery,  bath-rooms,  and 
rooms  for  sewing  and  industrial  work,  and  physical  cul- 
ture and  music  rooms.  There  have  been  some  changes 
in  the  original  plan  of  the  house,  but  it  has  remained 
practically  the  same  as  when  first  built.  I  ought  not  to 
forget  the  rooms  provided  for  residents  who  take  up 
their  stay  in  the  house  on  a  co-operative  plan  that  has  so 
far  worked  very  satisfactorily. 

"You  will  be  interested  to  know  something  about  the 
work  done  in  this  house.  The  kindergarten  has  been, 
perhaps,  the  central  force  of  the  establishment.  Noth- 
ing has  been  so  valuable  in  lasting  results.  A  volume 
might  be  written  about  it.  No  one  in  Merton  any  longer 
questions  the  value  of  the  kindergarten  in  the  redemption 
of  Freetown. 

"The  housekeeping  department  has  resulted  in  the  in- 
creased number  of  faithful,  competent  cooks  and  ser- 
vants who  have  been  trained  in  the  house.  It  is  the 
common  rule  now,  so  I  was  told,  for  the  graduates  of  the 
cooking  and  housekeeping  classes  in  Freetown  to  be 
sought  by  the  best  families  in  the  city ;  and  these  ser- 


FIFTEEN  YEARS  AFTER.  59 

vants  have  even  set  the  standard  of  prices  for  the  best 
servants,  and  command  higher  wages  than  any  other 
girls  in  Merton  who  go  out  to  service.  If  the  social  set- 
tlement had  not  done  anything  else,  it  would  be  a  great 
blessing  to  the  housekeepers  of  Merton.  It  has  helped  to 
solve  a  large  part  of  the  servant-girl  problem  in  this  city. 

"  The  children's  nursery  has  been  a  wonderful  bless- 
ing to  the  mothers  of  Freetown.  The  mother  who  goes 
out  to  wash  or  work  all  day  can  leave  her  baby  at  the 
settlement  and  go  off,  knowing  it  will  be  cared  for  even 
better  than  the  mother  herself  could  do  it.  Formerly, 
many  a  child  was  shut  up  in  a  cabin  with  other  children 
only  a  little  older,  or  turned  out  into  the  street  to  play ; 
and  it  was  a  wonder  that  more  of  them  did  not  die.  As 
it  was,  many  babies  used  to  grow  up  miserably  neglected, 
and  suffering  was  common  and  harmful. 

"  I  did  not  mean  to  describe  so  particularly  the  details 
of  the  work  done  by  the  setttlement,  but  I  have  been  so 
astonished  by  what  I  have  seen  that  I  do  not  know 
where  to  stop  when  I  once  begin  to  write. 

"  I  must  mention  one  regular  feature  of  the  Freetown 
work ;  that  is,  the  premium  list  for  physical  improve- 
ment of  the  place. 

"  Premiums  are  offered  every  year  for  the  best  gar- 
dens, best-looking  yard,  finest  flower-beds,  neatest  in- 
terior of  cabin,  most  fruit  on  a  place,  most  improvements 
during  the  season,  etc. 

"  You  would  be  astonished  to  see  what  has  been  done 
along  this  line.  Unsightly  yards,  dirty  alleys,  shiftless 
cabins,  are  a  thing  of  the  past.  One  of  the  prettiest 
parts  of  Merton  is  Freetown.  The  parks  in  front  of  the 
houses  are  arranged  in  original  designs  of  flowers;  the 
yards  are  ablaze  with  roses ;  and  shade-trees,  fruit-trees, 
vines,  and  lawns  have  so  transformed  the  district  that  it 
is  a  favorite  drive  for  Merton  people  to  pass  through 
Freetown.  All  this  may  seem  impossible,  but  I  believe 


60  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

you  will  see  how  it  is  within  the  reach  of  human  effort 
when  I  tell  you  a  little  more  about  how  it  has  all  been 
secured. 

"  In  the  first  place,  some  of  the  most  prominent  people 
in  Merton  have  actually  lived  in  this  settlement  house, 
and  have  given  their  time  and  their  strength  and  their 
brains  to  the  actual  redemption  of  the  place.  For  in- 
stance, there  is  Judge  Vernon,  whose  son  I  mentioned. 
He  has  been  a  resident  a  part  of  the  time.  It  had  been 
his  custom  once  a  year,  before  the  settlement  house  was 
built,  to  go  off  with  two  or  three  old  college  classmates 
on  a  month's  hunt  or  camping  expedition.  He  has  fre- 
quently, in  past  years,  given  that  amount  of  time  to  resi- 
dence in  the  settlement.  He  told  me  that  his  service 
there  had  proved  as  full  of  recreation  and  stimulus  as 
any  of  his  previous  vacations.  He  is  a  man  of  great  in- 
fluence, and  his  example  has  been  a  wonderful  one  for 
other  men  in  Merton. 

"  By  the  way,  I  meant  to  tell  you  that  it  was  found  sev- 
eral years  after  his  son's  death  that  the  negro,  Williams, 
who  it  was  supposed  was  the  cause  of  it,  was  innocent. 
A  confession  made  by  one  of  Claude  Vernon's  social  ac- 
quaintances disclosed  the  fact  that  on  the  way  home  that 
night  he  had  quarrelled  with  another  companion,  while 
both  were  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  and  blows  were 
exchanged  with  fatal  results  to  Judge  Vernon's  son.  His 
companion  shielded  himself  behind  the  bad  reputation  of 
the  negro,  and  revealed  the  facts  only  on  his  own  death- 
bed. 

"  I  mention  this  because  it  had  a  good  deal  to  do  with 
the  change  in  public  opinion  towards  Freetown  on  the 
part  of  many  families,  notably  the  judge's  own.  His 
married  daughters,  Isabel  and  Winifred,  I  have  met 
once  or  twice.  They  belong  to  the  fashionable  society 
here,  and  I  suppose  have  no  great  sympathy  with  the  un- 
usual interest  taken  by  their  father  in  Freetown. 


FIFTEEN  YEARS  AFTER.  61 

"  The  Carlton  family  is  another  remarkable  help  to 
the  work  done  by  the  settlement.  Father,  mother,  and 
daughter  have  been  for  the  most  part  permanent  resi- 
dents. Miss  Inez  is  a  beautiful  young  woman  of  great 
force  of  character.  She  has  made  her  life-work  the  re- 
demption of  the  place.  Mrs.  Carlton  has  given  much 
money  to  the  work ;  but  that  is  a  small  thing  by  the  side 
of  her  own  personal  attention  to  the  work  itself.  I  was 
struck  repeatedly  with  the  unusual  charm  of  her  manner, 
and  wondered  that  a  woman  of  such  social  distinction  as 
she  evidently  was  had  been  willing  to  live  in  such  sur- 
roundings. Her  daughter  also  impresses  every  one  in 
the  same  way. 

"  Mr.  Douglass,  pastor  of  the  Emmanuel  Church,  has, 
with  his  wife  and  family,  lived  in  the  house  a  part  of  the 
time.  He  has  been  obliged  to  work  out  the  problem  of 
the  residence  in  connection  with  his  own  church-work. 
His  church  heartily  stood  by  him,  notably  his  Christian 
Endeavor  society,  which  has  furnished  during  these 
years  some  of  the  best  material  in  the  city  for  residents. 
The  young  man  who  was  president  of  the  society  the 
year  the  settlement  house  was  built  is  now  the  head  resi- 
dent, and  manages  the  business  of  the  house  when  Mr. 
Douglass  "is  absent. 

"  One  of  the  most  helpful  residents  has  been  Mr. 
Brooks,  a  well-known  lawyer  of  Merton.  He  has  given 
a  large  part  of  his  time  and  money  to  make  the  settle- 
ment powerful  for  good. 

"  Another  important  fact  has  made  the  redemption  of 
Freetown  possible.  The  work  has  been  well  endowed. 
A  short  time  after  the  dedication  of  the  house,  Mrs. 
Lewis,  president  of  the  United  Clubs  of  the  women  of 
Merton,  succeeded  in  gaining  the  co-operation  of  a 
majority  of  the  clubs  to  work  for  an  endowment  fund  to 
place  the  settlement  on  a  firm  basis.  This  work  of  the 
clubs  has  been  very  successful.  Instead  of  meeting  for 


62  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

entertainments,  receptions,  parties,  or  ethical  and  literary 
discussions,  the  women  of  fashion  and  social  power  have 
met  to  work  for  a  humanity  that  was  in  more  need  of  be- 
ing redeemed  than  they  themselves  were  of  being  im- 
proved in  their  minds,  and  the  result  has  justified  the 
effort.  Freetown  "settlement  is  permanent  because  it  is 
on  a  firm  financial  basis. 

"  I  ought  not  to  omit  mention  of  the  churches  of  Mer- 
ton,  which  have  also,  without  regard  to  denomination, 
helped  the  settlement  all  these  years  in  many  generous 
ways.  In  fact,  nearly  all  the  Sunday  work  there  is  done 
by  members  of  the  different  churches  and  Christian  En- 
deavor societies.  This  has  been  a  wonderful  aid  to  unite 
the  denominations. 

"  The  political  aspect  of  Freetown  has  been  completely 
transformed  by  the  political  school  started  by  the  Chris- 
tian-citizenship committees  of  the  Endeavor  societies. 
This  alone  would  prove  of  untold  value  to  the  city. 

"  Fifteen  years  seems  like  a  comparatively  short  time 
to  redeem  a  place  such  as  Freetown  was.  But  it  is  the 
personal  life  going  into  the  heart  of  the  great  need  that 
has  done  it.  Don't  you  think  it  is  because  Christian 
people  do  not  generally  do  their  work  on  a  large  enough 
scale  that  the  results  are  so  small?  It  is  because  so 
many  prominent  people  here,  people  of  wealth  and  men- 
tal ability  and  social  influence,  have  been  willing  to  give 
their  lives  to  the  redemption  of  Freetown  that  it  has 
been  redeemed.  I  do  not  mean,  of  course,  that  every- 
thing is  all  right  in  Freetown.  But  in  a  very  true  sense 
it  has  been  redeemed.  And  it  is  no  miracle,  unless  we 
call  love  for  lost  souls  a  miracle.  If  you  are  in  doubt 
about  all  this,  come  out  here  and  look  for  yourself.  Mr. 
Douglass  has  just  called  to  take  me  over  to  see  the  exer- 
cises in  the  kindergarten  hall  in  honor  of  Lincoln's  birth- 
day. Very  truly  yours, 

"ALFRED  HARRIS." 


"As  he  reached  the  corner,  he  stopped  and  looked  back.' 


63 


64  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  FREETOWN. 

An  hour  later  Mr.  Alfred  Harris  came  out  of  the  hall. 
He  shook  hands  with  Mr.  Douglass  and  the  other  resi- 
dents, and  started  down  the  street.  It  was  his  last  day 
in  Merton. 

As  he  reached  the  corner,  he  stopped  and  looked  back. 
The  children  came  out  of  the  hall,  and  were  standing 
about  the  minister  and  his  wife.  Inez  Carlton  and  her 
mother  were  standing  on  the  steps  just  above  the  group. 
The  whole  scene  impressed  the  newspaper  man  pro- 
foundly. 

An  elderly  man  touched  his  arm. 

"  It's  been  worth  while,  don't  you  think?" 

"  O,  it 's  you,  Mr.  Brooks.  '  Worth  while  ! '  I  should 
say  so.  Why  cannot  the  same  thing  be  done  in  every 
city  where  the  need  is  as  great?  " 

"  It  can,  if — "  the  lawyer  paused  thoughtfully. 

"If  —  "  said  Mr.  Alfred  Harris,  looking  gravely  at  the 
lawyer. 

"  If  the  world  will  give  itself  to  redeem  itself." 

He  went  on  toward  the  settlement,  and  the  other  man 
went  his  way  with  his  head  bent  in  reverie.  Somehow 
he  seemed  to  hear  the  words  borne  to  him  from  the  set- 
tlement, "And  the  Word  became  flesh,  and  dwelt  among 
us." 

Ah,  yes !  Shall  the  world  ever  be  redeemed  in  any 
other  w'ay  ? 

"  And  they  shall  call  his  name  Emmanuel,  which  being 
interpreted  is,  '  God  -with  us.1 " 


THE   END. 


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